Georgians on Climate, COVID, and Equity: Survey Highlights

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Drawdown Georgia’s Three Goals 

02:25 Emily Creek: How COVID Shifted Climate Awareness 

04:35 John Lanier: Engaging Georgia’s Business Community 

05:57 Emily Creek: Where Georgians See Climate and Equity Intersecting 

06:48 John Lanier: Energy Burden and the Need for Equitable Solar

What do Georgians actually believe about climate change, and how did the pandemic shift those views? Over the summer of 2020, the founders of Drawdown Georgia partnered with market research firm Stable Kernel to survey Georgia residents on climate change, the environment, and social equity, anticipating divides not just politically, but across the urban, suburban, and rural landscape, and even among races.

In this video, John Lanier of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation shares Drawdown Georgia’s three founding goals, and Emily Creek of Stable Kernel walks through key findings from the survey, including how COVID-19 shifted climate awareness and how Georgians see the connection between climate change and social justice.

What You’ll Learn

• The three broad goals behind the Drawdown Georgia movement.
• How the COVID-19 pandemic shifted Georgians’ awareness of climate change.
• Which climate solution Georgians said they’re most interested in learning more about.
• How strongly Georgians connect climate change to social justice, and how that varies by age, location, and race.
• Why energy burden makes equitable access to solutions like rooftop solar such a critical equity issue in Georgia.

Continue reading in our companion blog for more on what Georgians think about climate solutions, COVID, and equity.

Download the Interview Transcript

Prefer to read the conversation instead? Download the complete transcript of this video to explore the full survey findings.