LOTS OF GRAPHS

COVID-19 Crisis Has Changed How Americans Live


Andy Bergmann
Sat, December 26, 2020



Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

Consumer Reports has been tracking how the coronavirus pandemic has changed Americans’ daily lives, since early March. The CR Survey has tapped a nationally representative sample of Americans on a monthly basis asking about the virus’ impact on jobs, finances, social lives, shopping, and more.

Americans Are Concerned


Overall concern about the spread of the coronavirus in respondents’ local areas over the following month remained consistently high throughout the second half of 2020. Concern peaked in July, dropped in August, then built back up over the following months.


Emotional and Financial Effects

Amid the heartbreaking death toll from COVID-19 and enduring physical health problems for many survivors, the pandemic has also exacted a heavy toll on the emotional and financial well-being of many Americans.


Behaviors Have Changed

A majority of Americans say they would feel at least somewhat safe going in person to the doctor or dentist, but far fewer Americans would feel similarly safe traveling by plane or going to an indoor gym.


This multimode survey was fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago using a nationally representative sample of 2,851 U.S. adults. The most recent survey was conducted Nov. 5 to Nov. 16, 2020, in English and in Spanish. The survey was directed by Karen Jaffe, associate director of survey research at Consumer Reports, and Tess Yanisch, survey research associate at Consumer Reports. (Download a PDF of the full survey results.)

October 2020 Survey

To monitor the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the habits and attitudes of Americans, Consumer Reports’ American Experiences Survey team again interviewed a nationally representative sample of Americans. This time, 2,670 U.S. adults were polled between Oct. 8 and Oct. 26.
Concern Remains High

As COVID-19 cases began to increase again across the country, the majority of Americans continued to express concern about the spread of the virus in their local areas.


Most Americans Would Wait to Be Vaccinated

Only 12 percent of Americans reported that they would feel comfortable getting a COVID-19 vaccination immediately after one is released. The majority said they would wait at least three months, or would not get it at all, when asked about how soon they would feel comfortable getting it after release.


Fewer Americans Very Likely to Get a Vaccine

In October, fewer than 1 in 3 people indicated that they were “very likely” to get a vaccine. (Note that the survey was taken prior to the November elections and recent release of Pfizer trial data.)


Black Americans Are Much Less Confident in Vaccine Safety

Black respondents were much less likely to have confidence in the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine if one became available today than Hispanic and white respondents.



This multimode survey was fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago using a nationally representative sample of 2,670 U.S. adults. The survey was conducted Oct. 8 to Oct. 26, 2020, in English and in Spanish. The survey was directed by Karen Jaffe, associate director of survey research at Consumer Reports, and Jane Manweiler, senior research associate at CR.

September 2020 Survey

To monitor the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the habits and attitudes of Americans, Consumer Reports’ American Experiences Survey team again interviewed a nationally representative sample of Americans, this time 2,303 U.S. adults polled from Sept. 11 through Sept. 21. CR found that Americans are taking even more precautionary measures because of the pandemic.

Voting by Mail

With the pandemic still affecting communities across the country, 35 percent of Americans indicated that they would vote by mail in the November elections. If they follow through with their plans, that will be considerably higher than the 20.9 percent of votes cast via mail in the 2016 presidential election.


More People Are Wearing Masks

The number of people who reported always wearing a mask in indoor public spaces ticked up again in September.



More Are Likely to Support Businesses That Follow Safety Guidelines

An increased number of Americans now say they’re more likely to support businesses that follow COVID-19 safety guidelines, such as wearing a mask. Those that indicated support increased from 59 percent in June to 68 percent in September.



This multimode survey was fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago using a nationally representative sample. The survey was conducted Sept. 11 to Sept. 21, 2020, in English and Spanish. It was directed by Karen Jaffe, associate director of survey research at Consumer Reports, and Tess Yanisch, survey research associate at CR.

August 2020 Survey

To monitor the impact COVID-19 is having on the habits and attitudes of Americans, Consumer Reports’ American Experiences Survey team again interviewed a nationally representative sample of Americans, this time of 2,236 adults from Aug. 7 through Aug. 19. CR found that Americans were less concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in August than they were in July but are being cautious in their spending habits and willingness to fly.
Overall Concern About the Spread of COVID-19 Dropped in August

After peaking in July, Americans’ overall concern about the spread of COVID-19 in their local areas fell somewhat in August.


Americans Are Spending Less

Over half of Americans are being more cautious about spending than they were before the coronavirus pandemic began. While spending patterns are generally consistent among age groups, high earners are the least likely to report being much more cautious about spending.


Not Ready to Fly

Half of Americans would fly only for an important event or a reason such as a family emergency. The majority of them say that strict rules around social distancing and wearing masks would need to be in place for them to feel comfortable flying. Nineteen percent would not feel comfortable flying unless they had a COVID-19 vaccine.



This multimode survey was fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago using a nationally representative sample. The survey was conducted Aug. 7 to Aug. 19, 2020, in English and in Spanish. The survey was directed by Karen Jaffe, associate director of survey research at Consumer Reports, and Tess Yanisch, survey research associate at CR.

July 2020 Survey

Following a surge in COVID-19 cases after broad reopenings around the country, Consumer Reports’ American Experiences Survey team again interviewed a nationally representative sample of adults, with 2,031 polled between July 9 and July 20. CR found that Americans are more concerned with the spread of the virus than they were in previous surveys and that they’ve been scaling up precautions, with more people reporting wearing masks in public. The survey also found more pronounced growth in concern among Black and Hispanic Americans.
Americans Are More Worried

As COVID-19 caseloads have spiked in many parts of the country, more Americans have become concerned about the spread of the virus in their areas.


More Black, Hispanic Americans ‘Very Concerned’

Although there was a strong increase among all respondents who reported being “very concerned” about the spread of COVID-19 (41 percent in June to 53 percent in July), the increase among Black and Hispanic respondents who reported being “very concerned” grew even more dramatically compared with the previous month.


Women Are More Concerned Than Men

Women have consistently reported greater concern than men over the spread of COVID-19. In June, the gap between women and men who said they were “very concerned” widened by 16 percentage points. But concern among men rose dramatically in July, narrowing the gap to 9 percentage points.


Mask Usage Has Increased

Amid increased concern over the spread of COVID-19, a higher percentage of Americans surveyed reported always wearing a mask when they’re in indoor public spaces.


Mask Usage Varies Based on Location

Mask usage across the U.S. hasn’t been consistent, the survey shows. More residents in the Northeast and the West report always wearing a mask when they’re in indoor public spaces, while those living in the South and the Midwest were less likely to do so.


A Split on In-School Education

With the start of the traditional school year approaching when the survey was conducted, a majority of Americans with school-age children at home reported they were not confident that their schools could prevent the spread of COVID-19 if they reopen for in-person classes.


Black and Hispanic Americans Concerned About School Reopenings

When compared with the general population, a higher percentage of Black and Hispanic Americans reported that they would prefer that schools remain closed, with students attending all classes online.



This multimode survey was fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago using a nationally representative sample. The survey was conducted July 9 to July 20, 2020, in English and Spanish. The survey was directed by Karen Jaffe, Consumer Reports’ associate director of survey research, and Jane Manweiler, survey research associate at CR.

June 2020 Survey

As many states across the U.S. were lifting lockdowns in June and everything from bars to beaches was reopening, Consumer Reports’ American Experiences Survey team once again interviewed a nationally representative sample of adults. This time, 1,014 people were polled between June 4 and June 16. CR discovered that a majority of Americans were still worried about the spread of COVID-19 near them. Those fears have been borne out by the surge of virus infections in several states.

Virus Transmission Concerns Remain High

While states across the U.S. allowed restaurants, bars, stores, and beaches to reopen, Americans reported that they were just as worried as they were a month earlier about the spread of the virus.



Americans Say They’re Distancing and Wearing Masks

Of those Americans who’ve ventured out in recent days, most say they are following safety precautions recommended by health experts, such as donning masks in indoor public spaces and keeping 6 feet away from others wherever they go.



Black and Hispanic Americans Are More Likely to Wear Masks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that people of color are much more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than white Americans. So it’s notable that they are more likely than white Americans to report always using masks, and Black Americans are most likely to report always socially distancing from others in public.


Older Americans Are Feeling More Worried

Statistics show that COVID-19 is more likely to cause serious illness and death in older adults, so perhaps it’s no surprise that more than half of Americans 60-plus are very concerned about the virus’ spread near them.



But Some Younger Americans Are Eager for Reopenings

As states were lifting restrictions put into place to minimize transmission of COVID-19, we asked Americans what changes they might start making in their daily lives. While the majority planned to do things such as go shopping or to the gym the same amount or less than they did pre-COVID-19, a quarter of Americans ages 18 to 29 said they would be heading to shops and gyms more often than before the pandemic.


Many Americans Support Businesses That Take COVID-19 Seriously

The majority of Americans are more likely to support businesses that require both their employees and customers to wear masks and keep 6 feet away from each other, as recommended by health experts. Most also believe that stores should, by law, be able to deny service to customers who fail to follow their safety guidelines.



This multimode survey was fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago using a nationally representative sample. The survey was conducted June 4 to 16, 2020. The survey was directed by Karen Jaffe, Consumer Reports’ associate director of survey research, and Jane Manweiler, survey research associate at CR.

May 2020 Survey

As COVID-19 continued its deadly spread across the U.S. in May, Consumer Reports’ survey team once again interviewed a nationally representative sample of adults (this time, 2,085 people were polled from May 8 to 18) seeking to learn whether Americans felt the coronavirus pandemic would change their lives in the future—how they work, play, shop, travel, pray, and much more. Important note: This new survey was taken prior to the killing of George Floyd and the protests against systemic racism that followed, revealing that even in mid-May many Americans believed life in the U.S. was in a serious upheaval.
Concerns for Virus Transmission Stay High

As states began lifting restrictions that had been put in place to minimize transmission of COVID-19—such as closing restaurants and beaches—most Americans still had strong concerns about the spread of the virus.


More Black and Hispanic Americans Are Highly Concerned

Our April survey revealed that Black and Hispanic respondents were hit harder by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. When we asked in May about the further spread of the virus, both groups were more likely to be highly concerned than white Americans about the virus’ spread.


Life in the U.S. Will Never Be the Same

Even as restrictions were being lifted in some parts of the U.S. in mid-May, most Americans said they would be making at least some permanent changes to their daily lives because of COVID-19. Only 16 percent believe they will go back to living life as they did before the virus.


More Black Respondents Plan Life-Altering Changes

Still more evidence that COVID-19 has had a deeper impact on Black Americans: Even before the killing of George Floyd, Black Americans responded that the impact of the virus had permanently changed the way they would live their lives.


What Americans Want to Do ASAP

As quarantines and closures begin to lift across the U.S., many Americans say that within a month of reopening, they’ll get their hair and/or nails done and head to beaches, restaurants, houses of worship, and other meeting places.


Trains, Gyms, Rock Concerts? Maybe Not.

Some of our respondents declared they would never again ride on subways or buses, work out in gyms, or even go to movie theaters in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.


Many Would Get a Vaccine . . . but Some Wouldn't

In spite of the deadliness of COVID-19, one-third of Americans tell us they’re not likely to get a coronavirus vaccine if one becomes available.


Why Some Americans Wouldn't Get Vaccinated

Safety concerns about the vaccine are the leading reason that one-third of Americans are not likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine when offered. Some also don’t believe that the coronavirus is a serious health threat.



This multimode survey was fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago using a nationally representative sample. The survey was conducted May 8 to 18, 2020. The survey was directed by Karen Jaffe, Consumer Reports’ associate director of survey research, and Debra Kalensky, senior research associate at CR.

April 2020 Survey

When COVID-19 was spreading across the U.S. in early March, Consumer Reports’ survey team began to track how the coronavirus pandemic was changing Americans’ lives. We interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,079 adults in the first two weeks of March, and then 2,164 adults in the first two weeks of April (captured here), seeking insight about the virus’ impact on our jobs, finances, social lives, shopping, and much more. We will continue to update this page over the next few months with our latest findings.
Virus Transmission Concerns Jumped

In just one month, the percentage of Americans who reported feeling highly concerned about the widespread transmission of the coronavirus has increased dramatically.



Note: March survey asked participants their level of concern about the possibility of widespread transmission; April survey asked level of concern about widespread transmission.
An Economic and Emotional Toll

Americans revealed in our April survey that the coronavirus pandemic has had a dramatic effect on their finances and on their sense of well-being.


Not Everyone Is Affected Equally

Those who are Hispanic, Black, or younger than 45 are more likely to have been economically hit hard by COVID-19, with more losing income and falling behind on mortgages or rent, according to our April survey.


Lives Put on Hold

An overwhelming number of those surveyed in April who had important plans affecting their future health or finances reported that they had to delay or cancel those plans because of COVID-19.



Americans who, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, were considering doing each of the above in the next year.
Trying to Stay Safe From COVID-19

Over the course of a few weeks, Americans quickly ramped up the precautions and preparations they were taking to protect themselves in the face of the widening coronavirus pandemic.


Some Things Americans Are Buying Now

In our April survey, we asked people about a few items and services they might have bought in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Here are the percentages of people who purchased or upgraded one of these products or services in recent weeks.


. . . And Things They Can't Find Anywhere

Shortages are a way of life now. But some products have practically disappeared from store shelves. Here are the percentages of Americans who couldn’t track down the following items.

BUDDHIST NATIONALISM

Covid-19: Sri Lanka forcibly cremates Muslim baby sparking anger


Fri, December 25, 2020,

Sri Lanka's Muslim minority are fighting to change the Covid-19 cremation rules

The forced cremation of a 20-day-old Muslim baby in Sri Lanka has highlighted the government's controversial order to burn the bodies of all those who died of Covid. Critics say the decision is not based in science and only intended to target the minority community. BBC Sinhala's Saroj Pathirana reports.

Mohamed Fahim and his wife Fathima Shafna were thrilled when their baby boy Shaykh was born on 18 November after a six-year wait.

But their joy was short-lived.

On the night of 7 December, they noticed the baby was struggling to breathe. They rushed him to the capital Colombo's best children's hospital, the Lady Ridgeway.

"They told us the baby was in a severe condition and was suffering from pneumonia. But then, around midnight, they did an antigen test and told us the baby was positive for coronavirus," Mohamed Fahim, who drives a three-wheeler for a living, told BBC Sinhala.

Doctors then tested Mr Fahim and his wife but they were both negative.

"I asked how my baby was positive when both of us, even the mother who was breastfeeding him, were negative?"

Despite tears and pleas, the anxious couple were sent home by officials who said more tests were needed. They were told to call the hospital for updates.

The next day, they were informed that their baby had died of Covid. Mr Fahim repeatedly asked doctors to conduct a PCR test to reconfirm this, but they refused.

Then, doctors asked him to sign a document authorising the cremation of their child, as required by law in Sri Lanka.

Mr Fahim refused: the cremation of bodies is forbidden in Islam, considered a form of mutilation, forbidden by Allah. Muslims also believe in the resurrection of the physical body, and cremation is thought to prevent this.

And he is not alone. Some Muslim families have refused to claim the bodies of their dead, leaving the government to cremate them on state expense, while many will not accept the ashes of their loved ones.

Sri Lankans of all faiths tied ribbons outside the cemetery where Shaykh was cremated

Mr Fahim says he repeatedly asked for his baby's body to be handed back to him, but officials said no. The next day, he was told his son's body was being taken to the crematorium.

"I went there but I didn't enter the hall," he says. "How can you watch your baby son being burnt?"

'No evidence'

Political, religious and community leaders representing the Muslim community have repeatedly requested the government to change its "cremate only" policy, pointing to the more than 190 countries allowing burials, and World Health Organization advice. It has even taken its fight to the Supreme Court, but the cases were dismissed without an explanation.

The government argues burials could contaminate ground water, based on the say-so of an expert committee, the composition and qualifications of which are unknown.

World-renowned virologist Prof Malik Peiris, however, has questioned the theory.

"Covid-19 is not a waterborne disease," Prof Peiris told the BBC. "And I haven't seen any evidence to suggest it spreads through dead bodies. A virus can only multiply in a living cell. Once a person dies, the ability of the viruses to multiply decreases."

He added: "Dead bodies aren't buried right in running water. Once you bury the body six feet under wrapped in impermeable wrapping, it is highly unlikely it would contaminate running water."

Muslim groups have filed court petitions to change the cremation rule

There had not been much sympathy for the plight of the Muslim community - but the forced cremation of baby Shaykh has changed that.

Soon after the news broke, men, women, clergy from other faiths, rights activists and opposition politicians gathered outside the crematorium, and tied white ribbons on the gate. Many were from the majority Sinhala community.

People have also taken to social media to condemn what happened.

Activist and lawyer Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, who was among those who tied white cloth on the gate, tweeted about her experience: "While I was tying it, a mother and daughter duo crossed the road and joined me with their own white cloths. Till I came they were worried someone may be watching.

"I couldn't quite make out what the mother was trying to say at first because we all had our masks on. Then she said, 'The baby was only two-days-old no? Sin. This way at least my heart will be satisfied'."

The white cloths disappeared overnight, believed to have been removed by authorities, but the anger did not.

The white cloths which adorned the gates disappeared overnight

Hilmy Ahmed, the vice-president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, told the BBC it was clear this was all part of a "racist" agenda, targeting the Muslim minority.

"The government doesn't seem to be responding to anything based on science," he said. "They don't seem to take into consideration the advice of virologists or microbiologists or epidemiologists. This is racist agenda of a few in the technical committee."

"This is probably the last straw for Muslims because nobody expected this little baby to be cremated," he added. "That also without even showing the child to the parents."

But the government denies that the measures are aimed at Muslims, pointing to the fact Sinhala Buddhists are having to cremate their loved ones within 24 hours, which also goes against their traditions.

"Sometimes we will have to do things that we don't like too much," the cabinet spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, told the BBC.

"Everybody has to make some kind of sacrifices during this Covid pandemic. I understand this is a very sensitive issue. Even my Muslim friends are calling me and asking me to help them. But as a government we have to take the decisions based on science for the sake of all concerned."

The government says it is looking for suitable land to bury Muslim Covid-19 fatalities

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has, meanwhile, instructed authorities to find a suitable dry land to bury those dying from coronavirus, his office said in a statement.

Mannar in northern Sri Lanka is thought to be considered by the authorities as a possible location. But it is not being seen as viable by the Muslim community - many of them were driven out of there by Tamil separatists in 1990. They fear that burials there will cause more tension.

And Mr Ahmed has dismissed the offer as "a carrot they are holding every time the pressure" increases. After all, the prime minister has issued similar instructions before, but Muslims are still being cremated.

Meanwhile, Mr Fahil says he still can't come to terms with what happened to his baby son, Shaykh.

"My only wish is that no other person should go through this pain. I don't wish any other child to experience what happened to my son."

India detains 75 in Kashmir after local election

INDIA LOST ELECTION TO KASHMIR OPPOSITION

#KASHMIR IS #INDIA'S #GAZA


FILE PHOTO: Mehbooba Mufti addresses a news conference in Srinagar
Sat, December 26, 202

By Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - India's government detained at least 75 Kashmiri political leaders and activists to forestall political unrest after an alliance of Kashmir's regional political parties won a local election, leaders and a police official said on Saturday.

The District Council election, concluded early this week, was the first such exercise since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government last year revoked the special status of the Muslim-majority, Indian-controlled region. New Delhi then cracked down on the opposition and rounded up hundreds of people to preempt protests and violence.

The new detentions, including separatist leaders and members of the banned Jamat-e-Islami group, were for preventive custody, said a senior police official, who asked not to be identified in line with official policy.

India and Pakistan have claimed all of the Kashmir region since the partition of British-ruled India into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu-majority India in 1947. Two of the three wars they have fought have been over the Himalayan region.

The detentions undermine the verdict of the people, said Imran Nabi Dar, spokesman for the National Conference, a regional party and a key member of the alliance.

The alliance's victory shows that Kashmiris have not accepted Modi's decision to end Kashmir's special status, said Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister and head of the National Conference.

After their release from lengthy detention, Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, chief of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, announced the alliance in October to seek a peaceful restoration of Kashmir's autonomy.

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari in Srinigar; Writing by Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by William Mallard)

In pursuing historic climate change agenda, Biden may find surprising ally
Adam Edelman
Sat, December 26, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden has made no secret that tackling climate change will be one of his top priorities. But to enact his platform to reduce global warming he may find an unexpected ally: Republicans.

Biden campaigned on the most ambitious climate agenda in history: It included plans for pioneering green energy and infrastructure projects and proposals to address environmental racism. Large chunks of his "Build Back Better" economic agenda are explicitly tied to climate-related policies.

Biden has said he will re-enter the U.S. in the Paris climate accord on his first day in office and will prioritize undoing dozens of environmental regulatory rollbacks put into place by President Donald Trump — all via executive action.


But what comes after that will be the hard part: trying to implement his climate agenda through legislation.

That's where he may find a partnership with Republicans on Capitol Hill.

While some in the GOP remain in steadfast denial that human-caused climate change even exists, dozens of Republican lawmakers have acknowledged that the time has come to address the crisis and have put forward policies that have gained some degree of bipartisan traction.

None, however, have approached the level of reform Biden has proposed. As a result, his administration will have to deftly maneuver balancing the major progressive climate actions he's promised with his desire to reach bipartisan solutions and promote political unity — something he's also promised.

Interviews with lawmakers from both parties and climate advocacy organizations on both ends of the political spectrum suggest the appetite in both parties for climate change policy is robust, making the topic a likely, even if unexpected, area for bipartisan cooperation under the new president.

Much of how Biden might navigate the issue remains tied up in two closely watched Senate runoff elections in Georgia next month. If Democrats win both, they win control of the chamber and with it leadership posts of pivotal climate-oriented committees, which would give Biden a leg up in setting the rules of the road on the issue. But if Democrats fall short, Republicans will maintain Senate control and with it the ability to advance their own climate bills.

Either way, whatever majority exists will be a narrow one, making bipartisan compromise, desired or not, the only way forward on legislation.

"We see a huge opportunity going into this administration," said Quillian Robinson, a spokesperson for the American Conservation Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for conservative solutions to climate change. "Divided government may look like it eliminates opportunity, but, really, it's a chance for durable climate solutions, instead of just flip-flopping from one administration's executive orders to another's."
Opportunities for compromise

Biden has promised to rejoin the Paris climate agreement, to sign executive orders that limit oil and gas drilling on public lands and in public waters, increase gas mileage standards for vehicles and block the construction of specific fossil fuel pipelines. He can do all of that through executive action.

Biden has also promised to pursue a 100 percent clean electricity standard by 2035 (a proposal that could mean the shuttering or total renovation of all coal-fired and gas-fired power plants in the U.S.) and has called for getting the U.S. to net-zero emissions by 2050, at the latest. He's also proposed a $2 trillion investment in renewable energy projects, with 40 percent of the funds benefiting communities of color that have been harmed by pollutants. He might not find a ton of Republican support on those ideas.

Biden has made it clear, especially through his personnel choices, that he sees the topic as one that merits an all-of-government approach that uses Cabinet agencies like the Transportation and Interior departments to help build new green infrastructure and incentivize developing green energy sources, as well as tasking the State Department with corralling other international powers to similarly focus on climate policy and carbon emissions.

It's in these areas — especially as it pertains to the investment in and development of green energy sources, green technologies and green infrastructure — where he could end up finding common ground.

The Growing Climate Solutions Act, sponsored by Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind.; Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., focuses on carbon-capture technologies in the agricultural sector, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Whitehouse have put together another bipartisan bill focused on increasing carbon-capture methods that occur naturally within ocean and coastal ecosystems.

Earlier this year, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., began pushing a new conservative climate policy effort along with seven of his Republican colleagues — meant to rival the progressive Green New Deal — including Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, who introduced legislation, titled the New Energy Frontier, focused on developing carbon-capture technologies.

"This all needs to start with technological innovation," Crenshaw said in an interview. While Crenshaw said he strongly opposes re-entering the U.S. in the Paris agreement and largely disagrees with large chunks of Biden's environmental plans, he is willing to work with the administration on the proposals that are part of his bill.

"I think we could be able to agree on the policies I've put forward," he said.

Meanwhile, Reps. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., have proposed a 10-year public and private partnership to invest in clean energy and infrastructure and subsequent new regulations.

Some on the left have bashed those proposals as being too narrow — many emphasize the contradiction between promoting technologies that sequester carbon from carbon-emitting plants and phasing out such carbon-emitting plants — but there appears to be ample space for compromise among Democrats, too.

Whitehouse, who has lent his name to several compromise bills in the Senate, said there’s a great need for Democrats to essentially try anything, and everything, that might combat climate change.

Asked by NBC News whether the Biden administration and its allies in Congress should prioritize the president-elect's agenda or bipartisan compromise, Whitehouse replied, "Both."

"The best outcome will be if we're aggressive and bipartisan at the same time,” Whitehouse, who has both pressed for progressive climate change policies and also co-sponsored more modest bipartisan legislation, wrote in an email to NBC News.

"The Biden plan is broad enough to encompass both, and we should pursue both. But to succeed, the administration must first set the conditions for victory," Whitehouse wrote.

"Real bipartisanship is best achieved from a position of strength," he added.

In a statement, the Biden transition reiterated that the president-elect had prioritized climate change and would implement his policies with "both legislative and executive action."

The strength that Whitehouse referenced could be achieved by kicking off the administration with a flurry of executive actions on climate change, as Biden has promised. But with a thin majority in the House and the Senate close to an even split, regardless of who wins the Georgia runoffs, Biden will almost certainly have to make good on another set of campaign promises he's made frequently: bipartisan cooperation.

Groups on both sides are ready for it.

"Yes, there will be obstruction from some Republicans, but I really do believe there will still be so many chances for bipartisanship on combating climate change," said Michael Brune, the Sierra Club's executive director.

Brune pointed to clean energy standards, accelerating the development of new energy technologies, growing American jobs in the green sector and saving consumers money on their energy bills as solid areas for consensus.

Conservative environmental groups have struck the same tone, even praising some of Biden’s more ambitious proposals.

Robinson, of the conservative American Conservation Coalition, said "incentives are really lining up both politically and economically," making significant investment in green technologies and infrastructure more possible than ever before.

Tom Steyer, the billionaire climate activist and Democrat who ran for president emphasizing an ambitious environmental justice platform, agreed, too, telling NBC News that "the country has moved on the issue."

"I think the business community has very clearly moved; I think Republicans have moved," said Steyer, who helped lead the conversation among 2020 Democrats on climate change but who is not currently working with the administration on the issue.

"This is not a partisan issue anymore,” he said.

But he also made clear that Biden, having won the presidency after making climate change such a big part of his campaign, should get to set the terms of the conversation.

"We won the argument," he said. "Now the moment is here. It's time to bring it home."