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Majority of US Republicans back climate action post-Paris

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More than half of Republicans questioned in a Reuters poll approve of US efforts to tackle global warming

The majority of US Republicans who had heard of the UN climate deal in Paris said they support US involvement in international efforts to tackle global warming.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos survey of more than 2,000 likely voters published yesterday, 58 per cent of Republicans surveyed said they approve of US efforts to work with other countries to tackle global warming, and 40 per cent said they would back a president that did so.

Meanwhile, 68 per cent said they would be willing to take individual steps to help the environment, such as buying a cleaner car or turning down the thermostat or air conditioning in their home.

The poll's findings come in stark contrast to the opposition to climate action from Republican hopefuls in the race for the party's presidential nomination. One candidate, Texan senator Ted Cruz, promised this week that he would pull out of the Paris Agreement if he was to win the presidency.

"Barack Obama seems to think the SUV parked in your driveway is a bigger threat to national security than radical Islamic terrorists who want to kill us. That's just nutty," according to quotes published in The Washington Post. "These are ideologues, they don't focus on the facts, they won't address the facts, and what they're interest[ed in] instead is more and more government power."

Democrats proved to be more accepting of a candidate committed to fighting climate change. According to the Reuters poll, 91 per cent of Democrats approve of the US taking steps to curb emissions.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton expressed her strong support for the climate deal earlier this month, and has pledged to continue President Obama's efforts to tackle climate change if she takes office, promising to install 500 million solar panels within her first term.

This article is part of BusinessGreen's Road to Paris hub, hosted in association with PwC.

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