74% of Americans want action on climate, but many Philadelphians don’t know they’re part of a majority

This story is part of the WHYY News Climate Desk, bringing you news and solutions for our changing region.

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As Philadelphia area residents endure their second heat dome of the summer, Canadian wildfires are sending smoke to the region. The resulting poor air quality has prompted Pennsylvania officials to declare a Code Red for the entire state, urging residents to avoid outdoor activities. Scientists say climate change has made these extreme temperatures and wildfires more likely. Eight people in the city have died so far this summer due to heat, according to the Department of Public Health. Extreme temperatures are particularly hard on the very young and the elderly.

A 2024 climate report from the EPA shows Philadelphia area residents now face an additional four to six heat waves each year compared to 60 years ago.

This comes as no surprise to Jarrell Patterson who was recently passing out free sunscreen and bug spray to soccer fans heading to the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill.

“The weather has changed drastically,” Patterson said. “I’m 38 so from when I was 10 to now, summers are getting way hotter.”

His coworker Demetrius Ceasar from South Philly, agreed.

“It’s something we need to discuss more that everybody don’t discuss,” Ceasar said. “We talk about everything else going on, we don’t talk about the earth we live on and how we’re gonna keep living on it. It’s so much war and all this stuff and the gas and everything going on, so it’s like we shy away from this. All that other stuff don’t matter if we ain’t got nowhere to live.”

Patterson and Ceasar are part of the 74% of people nationwide who say elected officials should be taking “intensified political action” on climate change. Globally, that number is 89%, according to a 2024 Gallup poll conducted as part of research published in the journal Nature. That study, “Globally representative evidence on the actual and perceived support for climate action,” concluded that while the vast majority of those surveyed across 125 countries, most people do not know they are part of such a large contingent, leading to less action, according to the authors.

A more recent Gallup poll from April shows that 44% of those surveyed “worry a great deal about global warming.”

Annica Liu, who was attending FIFA Fan Fest that day, guessed that she is part of 20% of the population who wants climate action. But Liu was happy to hear she’s part of a much larger cohort.

“That’s more promising that people care,” Liu said. “We’ve hit the point of no return technically temperature wise, so I think it makes sense that people care.”

Sitting on a bench having a snack before heading to Fan Fest, Brooklyn resident Andreina Avalos said she’s definitely part of the 74% who want greater action.

“I’m actually happy that there is more than 50%,” Avalos said. “It’s important that we try to do something to save our home, Earth. We are witnessing all these natural disasters and these severe extreme weather changes.”

Retired Upper Darby schools superintendent Joe Batory was out for a walk along Boathouse Row and said he was “shocked” to hear that 74% of Americans wanted stronger climate action, thinking it would have been more like 15 to 20%. Batory said while people may want action, they themselves aren’t willing to do so.

“They don’t seem interested enough to do something about [climate change], like making it a major political issue that elected officials have to run on and deliver action once they’re in office.”

Riding her bike to Fan Fest, West Philly resident Amanda Benner guessed almost exactly how many people wanted action – 75%.

Benner explained that her calculation was based on the percentage of people who don’t agree with President Donald Trump that climate change is a hoax.

“I think overall … everybody wants the people and the government, the corporations to do something about climate change for this country, it’s ridiculous,” Benner said.

She said “myths, false information, just the fossil fuel industry itself,” are preventing action.

But Bristol resident Amy Ewing counted herself as part of the 36%. She said climate change is a hoax.

“I think there was the ice age,” Ewing said as she stood in line to make a free charm bracelet. “Throughout history, throughout the world, it has happened throughout time.”

Although the climate has changed over time, the most recent ice age began roughly 120,000 years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago, the consensus among scientists is that the burning of fossil fuels has led to rapid changes that are causing unprecedented heat waves, wildfires, droughts, flooding and more intense storms.

Still, Ewing said she believes in protecting the environment and wildlife habitat.

“I think nuclear is the way to go,” Ewing said. “It’s a lot more safe these days and cleaner.”

Tiffany Threadgould was out walking her rescue dog Ivy along the river and was “very surprised” to hear that 74% of residents wanted more climate action.

“I wish it was even more. Climate change is real, the weather has been crazy hot, and we have to do something,” Threadgould said.

Threadgould is an engineer at TerraCycle, a firm that recycles hard to re-use items like toys, electronics and appliances. While solar energy costs have gone down, she said it still is not cheap enough for her to install on the roof of her rowhome.

“I wish governments could make those kinds of decisions more economically attractive for people,” she said.

Fan Fest attendee Bianca Benjamin also counts herself as part of the 74% having seen summers getting hotter in two cities she has lived in, Philadelphia and New Orleans.

“I don’t have a direct solution,” Benjamin said. “I just think that plans should be created and put into place that people can follow everywhere that will help to reduce our footprint.”

This reporting is part of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.