Key findings from the survey conducted by the American Sustainable Business Council include:
• Eighty-seven percent (87%) of business owners named one or more consequences of climate change as potentially harmful to their businesses. A majority (53%) said they were concerned about higher energy costs, 48 percent cited costs stemming from power outages due to stress on the power grid, and 37 percent cited a rise in health care costs.
• Sixty-four percent (64%) of businesses believe government regulation is needed to reduce carbon emissions from power plants. Majorities hold across party lines with Republicans supporting regulation by 55 percent, Independents by 65 percent and Democrats by 81 percent. Only 29 percent think power plants should be left to regulate themselves.
• Fifty-seven percent (57%) of businesses said that the biggest carbon emitters should make the biggest reductions in carbon emissions and bear most of the costs of reduction efforts.
• Fifty-seven percent (57%) of businesses say they are concerned about carbon pollution in particular and 53 percent are concerned about climate change in general.
• Half of surveyed businesses support tighter EPA limits on carbon emissions. Only 28% oppose them.
• Fifty-three percent (53%) of companies think extreme weather has, or will have, negative impact on their businesses. One in five has already been hurt. Among larger companies (20 – 99 employees), 71% think extreme weather has, or could have, negative impact, and only 21 percent think it won’t.
• A plurality (39%) of businesses said they would prefer to accept a 10 percent increase in energy costs rather than accept the consequences of climate change. Another 35% said “neither” or “don’t know”; only 25% said they would rather suffer the consequences of climate change than pay 10 percent more.
VIEW the full report.
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