Here’s why 3 in 10 Americans think climate change isn’t a big deal
Despite scientists’ urgent pleas to address climate change, some Americans don’t see it as a priority, and others say it’s not real.
Overall, less than half – 46% – of Americans say human activity is the primary reason for climate change. By contrast, 26% say warming is mostly caused by natural patterns in the environment, and another 14% don’t believe there’s any evidence that the Earth is warming at all.
About 3 in 10 say climate change action is not too important (17%) or should not be taken at all (11%).
Pew Research Center explored the “why” behind the views and beliefs of those who see climate action as a lower priority, so it conducted in-depth interviews with 32 US adults who hold variations of these views. (Pew stressed that the 32 interviewees are not representative of all US adults.)
The interviews were conducted virtually in May 2023 with people in the Midwest, the Mountain West, the South, the Southwest, and coastal Florida. Pew selected a broad mix of interviewees across political party, ideology, gender, and education.
Here are seven common themes that emerged across those conversations.
Why climate change isn’t a priority to 3 in 10 Americans
Climate change is seen as part of the Earth’s natural cycles and humans play a small role. Most of the 32 interviewees agreed that the Earth’s climate is changing, but they typically explained the changes as part of evolving natural patterns. So because they see climate change as natural, they feel that humans have little to no control over these changes.
One man in his 50s in Florida said, “I think that [extreme weather events] are not happening more. … It may seem like things are happening more and more, but I think that just that’s the cycle of life, the cycle of Earth.”
Suspicion around claims that climate change is urgent. One of the most common frustrations participants had is how other people talk about climate change as an emergency that requires immediate action. Many said that when they hear these arguments, they react with disbelief and increased scrutiny of the motives behind such statements.
A man in his 20s in the Midwest said, “People who are alarmist tend to want really drastic policies that seem to not make sense, so it kind of makes me disbelieve the other things they’re saying.”
Climate scientists are perceived as experts, but they’re also seen as having an agenda. Many interviewees wanted to hear more from climate scientists, but some of the same participants also said they don’t fully trust them because they think they might have financial motivations and personal biases.
A woman in her 40s in the Mountain West said, “I think that scientists, if they worked hard for their degree, it’s good to listen to them. I do always wonder, with anybody – anybody – if they have an agenda. It’s looking into maybe where their education is, what groups or environmental groups are they a part of. What is their main focus? And then, is there an agenda behind what they’re saying?”
Deep misgivings about whether the information that traditional news media shares is true. Most of the 32 interviewees described the media’s climate change coverage as biased and untrustworthy. Some said that media outlets are motivated more by profit than the need to be accurate.
A man in his 40s in the South said, “Networks and radio and newspapers and television, they’re all getting paid to tell me something. And if they don’t have my attention then they’re not getting paid. So they’ll do whatever they need to get my attention… It’s all about ratings and, you know, getting people to watch.”
Some support for using more renewable energy, alongside concerns about the pace and practicality of the transition. Participants shared their views on renewable energy and EV government policies. Some were open to the idea of a renewable energy transition but wanted a slower pace of change. Others wanted to stick to fossil fuels because they think that renewables are unreliable.
A woman in her 30s in the Midwest said, “It’s not practical for everyone to purchase a Tesla or be able to have the ability to plug in a car at their home or to, quite frankly, pay to charge up a car and have an additional expense or additional changes to their lifestyle that is always productive or applicable.”
A woman in her 40s in the Mountain West said, “We don’t have all the batteries to make the electric cars. Things like that. I don’t see where that’s an improvement. I think that fossil fuels have gotten us this far, and I think that they’re fine.”
Support for governmental policies as long as they don’t infringe on individual rights. While interviewees saw less urgency on climate change action, they expressed an openness to some types of government action on the environment, particularly at the local level. However, they commonly said that government regulations shouldn’t limit people’s freedoms, restrict individual choice, or burden people financially.
A man in his 40s in the Southwest said, “I think the best way to protect the environment is just educating people on what steps we can take that aren’t extreme, meaning don’t ban gas combustion vehicles. Don’t ban gas stoves. Give people the information. Let them decide what they want to do. But when you start to force things upon people, that’s when people become skeptical…”
Few of the interviewees see a need for direct personal action on climate change, but many see value in individual efforts to help protect the environment. A man in his 50s in Coastal Florida said, “It is so very important that we take care of our planet. Let’s not litter. Let’s have good clean water. Let’s not do anything that’s going to hurt our planet that we live in. And so that’s what I feel about everybody’s duty, to take care of – everybody takes care of their own little piece, and I think it’s going to be fine.”
Read more: This is what Americans really think about climate change
Photo: “Downed trees and power lines in Bartow, FL following Hurricane Ian” by State Farm is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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The world’s largest EV battery maker warned that it expects to report less revenue in 2024 than the previous year, sending share prices down on Wednesday. CATL (SHE: 300750) stock dipped after its 2024 Annual Performance Forecast was released. Here’s a preview of CATL’s financials for last year.
CATL stock falls on lower 2024 revenue expectations
CATL released the forecast in a filing with the Shenzen Stock Exchange late Tuesday, previewing its full-year 2024 financials.
The battery giant expects annual revenue of between RMB 356 billion ($48.9 billion) and RMB 366 billion ($50.3 billion), suggesting an 11.20% to 8.71% decrease from 2023. This would mark CATL’s first time reporting lower annual revenue than the year before.
CATL said that although sales volume was up, the lower expectations were due to falling raw material prices, including lithium carbonate. Despite this, the company still expects to post annual net income of RMB 49 billion ($6.7 billion) to RMB 53 billion ($7.3 billion), which would be up 11.06% to 20.12% from 2023.
Excluding non-recurring gains and losses, CATL expects net profit attributable to shareholders between RMB 44 billion ($6 billion) and RMB 47 billion ($6.5 billion), up 9.75% to 17.23% from 2023.
CATL said the higher net profits were “mainly due to the company’s technological research and development capabilities.” It also said the competitiveness of its products continues to increase.
After launching a series of new products and technology while expanding its partnerships last year, CATL expects “steady growth” in performance.
Just yesterday, a local report from Jieman claimed CATL expected to announce plans for yet another EV battery plant in Europe as it expands its global reach. The new facility would be in addition to the one revealed last month with Stellantis and CATL’s fourth in Europe.
According to SNE Research, CATL remained the world’s largest EV battery maker, commanding 36.8% of the global market through the first 11 months of 2024.
CATL launched its new Bedrock Chassis last month, which it calls “the world’s first ultra-safe” EV skateboard chassis. It’s also aggressively expanding its EV battery swap plans with a new line of Choco-SEB batteries, which make swapping even quicker than filling a gas tank (within 100 seconds).
Despite the confidence and higher net profits, CATL’s stock slipped around 2% on Wednesday following the lower revenue expectations.
CATL shares are still up nearly 70% over the past 12 months, as the EV battery leader launched new products and expanded its global market lead.
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Environment
Sustainable luxury down below: U-Boat Worx (finally) launches its revamped electric ‘Super Sub’
Electric submersible specialist U-Boat Worx has unveiled bonafide images of its flagship electric “Super Sub.” The revamped model, designed to provide customers luxury, speed, and depth at sea, has officially been launched and is available to interested marine explorers.
U-Boat Worx is a Dutch submersible manufacturer that has become one of the industry leaders in luxury electric sub design.
The company has introduced nine different electric submarine series. These include the nine-passenger NEXUS series we previously covered and a three-passenger Super Sub, which first debuted in 2021.
In the fall of 2022, we shared that U-Boat Worx redesigned the all-electric Super Sub to bolster its speed below the water’s surface. It claimed its updated version could cruise as quickly as 10 knots, 3-4 knots faster than the bottlenose dolphin.
U-Boat Worx originally planned to launch the revamped version of the Super Sub in 2023. Over a year later, it officially unveiled the luxury electric sub with new, genuine images of the vessel instead of renderings.
U-Boat Worx begins sales of its electric Super Sub
U-Boat Worx shared the images seen above alongside a press release detailing the official (late) launch of its three-passenger Super Sub. As you can see, the design features a droplet-shaped hull and advanced wing configurations, which, according to U-Boat Worx, helps make it one of the most hydrodynamic submersibles ever crafted.
The electric sub’s streamlined design is complimented by a four-thruster propulsion system that delivers 100 kW of thrust and speeds up to 9 knots (~10 mph) underwater. The vessel can also complete 45-degree climbs and “impressive inclined underwater maneuvers.” Roy Heijdra, Marketing Manager at U-Boat Worx, elaborated:
The Super Sub is a marvel of engineering and luxury. It’s more than a submersible — it’s a first-class ticket to explore the ocean like never before, combining speed, safety, and sophistication in every dive.
In terms of interior luxury, U-Boat Worx says the electric Super Sub offers a comparable experience to first-class travel – a step up from the “business-class comfort” of its other models.
Inside, two passengers and a pilot can enjoy spacious and ergonomic seating with a five-point harness system for comfort and safety during the electric sub’s high-speed maneuvers using a unique SHARC controller developed for the Super Sub to deliver intuitive maneuverability at any angle or pitch. Looking outward, a panoramic ultra-clear acrylic hull offers passengers 360-degree views.
The Super Sub is powered by a 62 kWh battery pack that offers up to 8 hours of exploration using electric propulsion and hydrofoil technology. If you’re wondering how much a luxury three-passenger electric submarine costs, well we’re not sure either. We asked, but U-Boat Worx says it only shares pricing with its applicants. Do any billionaires want to apply and report back? Thanks
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Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller sees Elon Musk’s politics as an opportunity to steal sales from Tesla as many owners are looking at other electric vehicles.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s meddling in politics hasn’t been winning him many fans outside of the US lately. In Germany, we reported on a boycott effort that is gaining ground.
Michael Lohscheller, Polestar’s CEO, sees it as an opportunity.
Being German himself, he finds Musk comments promoting AfD, a far-right party in Germany, “unacceptable”. He said in a Bloomberg interview:
“For Germany, somebody outside of Germany endorsing right-wing political parties is a big thing. You want to know what I think about it? I think it’s totally unacceptable. Totally unacceptable. You just don’t do that. This is pure arrogance, and these things will not work.”
The CEO says that a lot of people are turning on Tesla because of this.
We get a lot of people writing that they don’t like all this. It’s important to listen closely to what they say. And I can tell you, a lot of people have very, very negative sentiment.
Some surveys showed as many as a third of Tesla owners have sold or are looking to sell their vehicles due to Elon Musk’s antics.
That could indeed be an opportunity for Polestar and the company needs it.
Sales have been lacking behind target and its stock has suffered – 92% of its value since going public.
It managed to secure some funding late last year and scaled back spending to extend its capacity to operate. It now plans to go to a more traditional dealership model to move cars.
But the biggest difference maker is the expanding lineup of vehicles that Polestar is launching.
Electrek’s Take
It is certainly an opportunity. I’m seeing more and more Tesla owners saying that they would never buy another Tesla.
Those people aren’t likely to go back to a gas car, and therefore, it is an opportunity for all other EV automakers.
I haven’t had a lot of time in Polestar vehicles. I think they look cool, but my opinion stops there. I am going to test them all next month and I will report back.
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