November 15, 2024
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Climate change and conservation ballot measures approved even in areas where President Trump won
The four Florida counties that voted for Trump also voted to preserve open space, reduce flood damage, and protect habitat.
Cypress Lake Cove in Lake County, Central Florida.
Stephen Vincent/Alamy Stock Photo
Climate Wire | President-elect Donald Trump won nearly 70% of the vote in Clay County, Florida, last week.
Another big winner in the Republican county near Jacksonville is a ballot measure that would increase taxes by $45 million to fund projects aimed at improving water quality, protecting wildlife and reducing damage from flooding. It was.
Nearly two dozen conservation and climate-related ballot initiatives were approved on Election Day in states ranging from Florida and Georgia to California and Colorado. The measures aim to expand parks, protect natural areas and prepare local communities for the effects of climate change.
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“This is not a partisan issue,” said Pegeen Hanrahan, associate director of conservation finance at the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit that advocates for ballot measures focused on conservation and climate change. speak “We’re seeing wins in red states and blue states.”
Many of the initiatives were passed in Democratic areas such as Denver, which approved air conditioning installations and improvements in public schools. The city experienced record temperatures this fall. Several measures gained support from voters in states and counties who support President Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax” and vowed to repeal pollution regulations and President Joe Biden’s climate policies and plans.
This success reflects growing recognition among residents and officials that global warming poses increasing risks to people, property, budgets, and tax sources, and will worsen without intervention.
“Everyone, regardless of their political leanings, understands that and is willing to make these kinds of investments,” said Justin Marlowe, director of the Center for Municipal Finance at the University of Chicago. “This is an economic development strategy.”
Hanrahan said her group is trying to address “the effects of climate change” through voting measures, adding: “In some places, we’re not even discussing the direct causes of those effects.”
Clay County’s measure appeared on the ballot as a land conservation referendum to protect water quality, wildlife habitat, forests and farms.
Four measures were approved in Florida counties that support Trump.
In Lake County, near Orlando, voters passed a measure aimed at conserving natural areas, improving water quality and protecting wildlife habitat. According to an analysis by the Trust for Public Land, the county will issue $50 million in bonds to pay for the work and repay it through increased property taxes, giving the average homeowner 21% a year for 20 years. It will cost you dollars.
The trust said Clay County’s measure has a similar purpose, allowing counties to sell bonds that can cost the average homeowner up to $33 a year. A referendum in Osceola County, south of Orlando, approved a $70 million bond to renew a land conservation program.
Voters in Martin County, north of Palm Beach, also approved a measure with a similar purpose. But instead of selling bonds, the county plans to raise $183 million by raising the sales tax by half a cent over the next 10 years.
Florida’s measure does not mention climate change. And that’s intentional.
“We don’t talk much about climate change,” says David Weinstein, the Land Trust’s western conservation finance director. “We’re talking about the worst effects of climate change, and that’s what resonates with voters.”
Nevertheless, the ballot measures aim to fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prepare local communities for climate impacts, or both.
“The main benefits of conserving land for climate change are clearly that natural land absorbs carbon, absorbs flooding, and creates healthier habitat for wildlife movement.” said Hanrahan of the Land Trust.
Other approved ballot measures aim to reduce wildfire risk in Colorado, protect forests in Illinois and provide funding for parks, community centers and more in New Mexico.
California voters approved four related ballot measures, including one that mentioned “climate” multiple times. Proposition 4 received 58 percent of the vote to fund projects aimed at preventing wildfires, providing safe drinking water, and protecting California “facing significant threats from climate change.” approved the state to issue $10 billion in bonds.
The University of Chicago’s Marlowe predicts that as the effects of climate change worsen, ballot measures addressing climate change will become more common and remain popular with voters.
“There are estimates that we would have to borrow twice as much each year as we currently borrow to respond to the effects of climate change,” Marlow said. “If you’re a mayor, city council, city manager or chief financial officer, you can’t wait for action from Washington.”
Reprinted from E&E News Published with permission of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2024. E&E News provides news that matters to energy and environment professionals.
