Where Americans stand on climate change heading into 2025

The West is on fire.

A combination of fierce Santa Ana winds, low-humidity, and one of the driest winters the region has ever seen has created conditions that have enabled a handful of wildfires to ravage Los Angeles over the past week.

Over a hundred thousand have been displaced, thousands of homes have been destroyed, and early estimates suggest that the cost of the damages could exceed tens of billions.

Like many of the “once-in-a-generation” natural disasters of the last decade, these fires are inevitably linked to climate change. Experts have suggested that the conditions that created these fires are “climate disasters compounded.”

With one major natural disaster under our belt, how do Americans feel about climate change heading into 2025? Below are five charts on where the climate crisis stands, how Americans feel about the environment, and where Americans expect things to head in 2025.

1. Global temperatures continue to rise. Last year is expected to be the hottest year on record. In fact, 2024 was the first year where temperatures were above 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial times. What can we expect in 2025? Experts say that although 2025 might not top 2024, it will still likely rank as one of the hottest years on record. Stay tuned.
2. It’s the economy, stupid. The environment and climate remains a secondary concern compared to issues like the economy or immigration. This election reinforced the idea that climate change isn’t a winning electoral issue – it’s the economy. However, concern with the environment has been slowly growing over time. Will it be a top issue in the future? We will see.
3. Hot topic. The term “climate change” remains politically divisive. In the long term, as the effects of climate change become more real, will Democrats and Republicans get closer on the issue? It is hard to say, but for now, the country remains deeply divided. Two Americas: one red, one blue.
4. How impactful will climate change be? It depends on who you ask. Although Americans across partisanship say they experience extreme weather at roughly equal levels, Republicans are less likely to feel climate change will impact their current or future life. Of course, given the gradually growing level of concern with the climate, this could change. But it’s also possible that the issue will continue to be split along party lines. Watch this space.
5. Looking ahead to 2025. Americans have a gloomy outlook on the climate heading into 2025, both when it comes to global temperatures and extreme weather events. And when it comes to solutions, few are optimistic. It gets worse before it gets worse.

Right now, climate change isn’t an issue that is top of mind for most Americans. But climate change isn’t something that’s likely to go away. As climate change continues to shift from an abstract concept into an issue with real, immediate impacts on the world, the question of how partisanship factors into this issue will remain. Americans have grown more concerned with climate change over the past decade. Still, these fires are unlikely to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. It will likely take more.