Activists urge Democrats to embrace climate messaging during recess

Polling suggests climate messaging does not hurt Democrats, activists say

The climate crisis has largely disappeared from the political agenda, with many Democrats who once described it as an existential threat now shying away from talking about it, according to a report by The Guardian. The shift, which activists have dubbed “climate hushing,” has prompted a nationwide pushback during the summer congressional recess.

The climate advocacy coalition Climate Action Campaign is organizing demonstrations in at least 20 states over the next month, targeting lawmakers during the House and Senate recess periods. The actions began Thursday and will involve members of groups including local Sierra Club chapters, the senior citizen-led climate organization Third Act, and local affiliates of the NAACP.

Margie Alt, director of the Climate Action Campaign, said the coalition is working with the broadest possible set of allies. “The message is, talk about climate, climate can’t wait, and we want to see action,” Alt said.

In Michigan, participants plan to demonstrate against Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga, who voted for the Trump administration’s “big beautiful bill,” which expanded fossil fuel production. In Arizona, young activists will meet with Democratic Rep. Adelita Shirley Grijalva, a climate champion, to encourage her to continue speaking about global warming. In other districts, organizers have circulated petitions calling on House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to prioritize climate issues, and plan to urge representatives to connect the climate crisis to recent heatwaves.

The activists’ campaign comes as new polling challenges the premise that avoiding climate messaging helps Democrats politically. July research from the University of California, Santa Barbara found that emphasizing climate change was neutral to beneficial for Democratic candidates, suggesting that talking more about the issue does not alienate voters and can even increase support in competitive races.

Another July poll from Data for Progress found that 61% of likely voters, including nearly half of Republicans, believe extreme weather has become more frequent. A Yale survey from June found that roughly two-thirds of Americans are worried about global warming.

Bill McKibben, the environmental author and activist who co-founded 350.org, said the polling data shows a disconnect between the Democratic strategy and public sentiment. “The long history of the climate movement proves that we move fastest when there’s real pressure from the grassroots,” McKibben said. “All the evidence shows those grassroots are as worried about the climate crisis as they ever were.”

McKibben added that the gap between the MAGA base and the general public on climate is unusually wide. “Smart politicians will grab on this issue,” he said. “There’s perhaps no other question where the gulf between Maga and the general public is higher.”

Alt described “climate hushing” as the “climate denial of 2026.” She said ignoring the climate crisis is not smart politics. “I think that it is dropping the ball on the biggest threat the US and the world faces,” Alt said.

The Trump administration, which has called climate policy a “scam” and a “hoax,” has continued to promote fossil fuel production, including through measures like the administration’s “big beautiful bill” that expanded production. The activists’ pushback comes as extreme weather events — including torrential rains, dangerous heat, and smoke from Canadian wildfires — have affected communities across the country this summer.