Defending costly, ineffective policies is no easy task amid a cost-of-living crisis, but UC Berkeley energy economist Severin Borenstein gave it his best shot in a recent webinar.

While noting that California has numerous programs that “raise the cost of fuels” – and has made “real investments” in EVs that “are not costless” – Borenstein argued:

“[O]bviously, California’s attempts to address climate change are not for the reason that we are going to end the wildfires or end climate change. They are for leadership. California produces less than 1% of the world’s greenhouse gases. We are doing this to show it can be done so that the rest of the world will follow.”

“I think that that’s important,” Borenstein said. “It’s worth it.”

It’s a candid argument that recognizes real tradeoffs. But do working families struggling to get ahead in California – where three in ten recently said they are cutting back on food to save money – really want to pay higher energy costs so that Sacramento can claim the mantle of climate leadership? Do working families think the higher costs they pay are worth it when California represents less than 1% of global emissions?

Public polling says no.

A recent Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) statewide survey found that while six in ten Californians favor requiring all electricity to come from renewable energy by 2045, six in ten are also unwilling to pay more to accomplish that goal. 

The trend is clear: PPIC data show the proportion of Californians willing to pay more for renewable electricity has dropped from 56% in 2016 to just 38% today.

California Energy Commission Vice Chair Siva Gunda has acknowledged this tension:

“You are seeing this dichotomy where majority of Californians really want to press forward with the environmental goals we have, but also you’re seeing in the polling that people are less interested in paying that extra premium for the clean energy journey compared to 10 years ago.”

With residential electricity rates nearly 90% higher than the national average and a strong majority calling gas prices a “major problem,” it’s clear working Californians are under intense affordability pressures.

While some may believe that climate leadership is worth the cost, California’s working families have other priorities.