After a Summer of Wildfires and Record Heat, Americans Want Leaders to Talk About Climate Change

This past summer, the United States was hit hard by extreme weather. Wildfires burned hundreds of thousands of acres, record-breaking heat spread across the country, and more than 180 million Americans were placed under heat alerts. Yet many political leaders stayed silent about climate change — and a new report says that silence is both dangerous and unpopular.

A climate education group called Potential Energy Coalition has been studying how Americans feel about climate change for nearly ten years. They have run thousands of hours of focus groups, surveyed more than half a million people, and tested hundreds of different messages. Their findings show that most Americans not only care about climate change — they want their leaders to do something about it.

The summer's extreme weather was hard to ignore. In Washington state, wildfires burned almost half a million acres in just a couple of months — nearly double the amount from the year before. In Miles City, Montana, the temperature reached 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Seventeen states had to issue emergency electricity orders to keep up with the demand for air conditioning.

People noticed, and they started talking. Online conversations about extreme heat, wildfires, and droughts increased by 103% compared to the same time last year. Posts that directly linked extreme weather to climate change went up by 263%. A new AP-NORC poll found that 80% of Americans say extreme heat has raised their electric bills, up from 69% just two years ago.

Despite all this, many U.S. leaders have become quieter about climate change. An analysis of press releases from members of Congress showed that mentions of climate change have dropped sharply since 2025. Researchers call this trend 'climate hushing,' and say it comes from a false belief that talking about climate change will hurt politicians with voters.

Leaders in other countries have not been so shy. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke clearly about the connection between extreme weather and climate change, saying the events were 'the consequence of a climate emergency.' Many Americans say they want that same kind of honesty from their own leaders. In fact, 65% agreed that leaders who won't acknowledge climate change are putting lives and jobs at risk.

New research also tested different ways of talking about climate change. Some leaders try a 'side door' approach, focusing on the benefits of clean energy like jobs or lower power bills instead of mentioning climate change directly. But the research found that messages about real consequences — like rising insurance costs and dangerous heat — were 2.6 times more effective at building public support.

The numbers on public support for climate action are strong. Nearly 70% of Americans support government action on climate change, and two out of three say officials have not done enough to prepare the country for extreme weather. That includes 73% of moderates and even half of conservatives, showing that regular Americans are far less divided on this issue than their politicians.

The report's author, John Marshall, says climate-friendly leaders need to stop avoiding the topic and start speaking up. He argues that nature is already sending a clear message through fires, floods, and heat waves. It is time, he says, for politicians to respond with honesty and real plans to fix the problem.