Climate politics and the bottom line CBS News poll [Video]

For many years, addressing climate change has been framed, at least in political debates, as one that carries an economic tradeoff: Could we afford to do it, even if we think it’s otherwise a good idea, or would it cost jobs and money in a world so dependent on fossil fuels? 

This framing endures today in many ways — especially on a personal level, if not a macro one.

People are far more likely to oppose U.S. efforts to combat climate change if they think it will hurt their personal finances. 

In fact, a majority of those who think efforts to reduce climate change will hurt them financially are in principle opposed to the U.S. taking steps on climate change, even as the rest of the nation breaks heavily in favor of that.

Moreover these Americans extrapolate out and think a switchover to renewable energy, in particular, hurts the U.S. …