US activists are challenging a trend of "climate hushing" among Democrats, who are reportedly avoiding discussions about the climate crisis despite recent extreme weather events across the country. Environmental advocacy coalition Climate Action Campaign is organising demonstrations during the summer's federal recess, calling on lawmakers to re-prioritise climate issues.
Events began on Thursday and are planned over the next month in at least 20 states. These actions involve groups such as local Sierra Club chapters, Third Act, and local affiliates of the NAACP. Activists aim to encourage representatives to address global warming and connect it to recent heatwaves.
This campaign follows new polling data that questions the strategy of "climate hushing." July research from the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that discussing climate change was either neutral or beneficial for Democratic candidates. Another July poll from Data for Progress indicated that 61% of likely voters believe extreme weather has become more frequent in the past five years, including nearly half of Republicans. A Yale survey from a month earlier also found that approximately two-thirds of Americans are concerned about global warming.