Professor Barry Rabe spoke on air with Michigan Radio's Rebecca Williams on June 21 about the tricky politics of climate change policies such as carbon taxing and cap-and-trade.
The interview took place as the National Surveys on Energy and Environment, which Rabe co-authors, released the latest results of its regular surveys of American public opinion.
The report, "American Opinions on Carbon Taxes and Cap-and-Trade: 10 Years of Carbon Pricing in the NSEE" was posted earlier in the week. Rabe and his co-authors document the ongoing divide among the public about policies such as carbon taxing, which many economists strongly endorse. NSEE researchers "noticed an uptick in the last two years, 2016 and 2017," said Rabe of public support, "so that a slightly larger number of Americans support a national carbon tax than oppose."
Given the push that many state officials have made to explore these policies in the wake of the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, Rabe predicts that "we'll know a lot more after this coming election ... Can you talk about a carbon price and survive politically?"