--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Climate change may not be the most…" description: "\"Climate change may not be the most important issue to every American, but strong majorities do consider it a major problem, and they aren't likely to t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/sheldon-whitehouse-3144_american_climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-impor_1779350.png" --- # Climate change may not be the most important issue to… ![“Climate change may not be the most important issue to every American, but strong majorities do consider it a major problem, and they aren't likely to take seriously a candidate who denies the science and who is plainly in the pocket of the polluters.” quote by Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/sheldon-whitehouse-3144_american_climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-impor_1779350.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/sheldon-whitehouse-3144_american_climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-impor_1779350.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/sheldon-whitehouse-3144_american_climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-impor_1779350.png) > “Climate change may not be the most important issue to every American, but strong majorities do consider it a major problem, and they aren't likely to take seriously a candidate who denies the science and who is plainly in the pocket of the polluters.” [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Many Americans downplay climate change, yet they reject candidates denying science and aligned with polluters. **In simple terms:** Climate denial hurts politics. Key Takeaway Prioritize science‑based policies. Themes environment politics science denial Mood concerned urgent Type political environmental When to use this quote - elections - media coverage - environmental activism Key Concepts public opinion policy making Questions to Reflect On - How can voters assess climate credibility? - What role should science play in policy? A Different Perspective Economic interests may override concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Denies Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denies-science-1847566/) [Majorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majorities-1208516/) [Majorities Consider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majorities-consider-1847564/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Seriously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously/) [Strong Majorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-majorities-1847565/) ## Related quotes > [Majorities and minorities cannot rightfully be taken at all into account in deciding questions of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/majorities-and-minorities-cannot-rightfully-be-taken-at-all-into/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [Being 'at the mercy of legislative majorities' is merely another way of describing the basic American plan: representative democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/being-at-the-mercy-of-legislative-majorities-is-merely-another-way-of/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [You know, a lot of the people that are running. We want to go in; we want to have majorities. It's very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-a-lot-of-the-people-that-are-running-we-want-to-go-in-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Majorities are generally wrong, if only in their reasons for being right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saintsbury/majorities-are-generally-wrong-if-only-in-their-reasons-for-being/) [George Saintsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saintsbury/) > [The minorities are sometimes right. The majorities never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-minorities-are-sometimes-right-the-majorities-never/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [They're still a subject beholden to special interests, but at least they have a national constituency. At least they have to think about national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/they-re-still-a-subject-beholden-to-special-interests-but-at-least/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [Majorities, of course, start with minorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moses/majorities-of-course-start-with-minorities/) [Robert Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moses/) > [Majorities are of two sorts: (1) communal majority and (2) political majority. A political majority is changeable in its class composition. A political majority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/majorities-are-of-two-sorts-1-communal-majority-and-2-political/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > [The fact disclosed by a survey of the past that majorities have been wrong must not blind us to the complementary fact that majorities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/the-fact-disclosed-by-a-survey-of-the-past-that-majorities-have-been/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Great innovations should not be forced on slender majorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/great-innovations-should-not-be-forced-on-slender-majorities/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“...so bear in mind that majorities, especially respectable ones, are nine times out of ten in the wrong; and that if you see man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/so-bear-in-mind-that-majorities-especially-respectable-ones-are-nine/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [Decision by majorities is as much an expedient as lighting by gas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-gladstone/decision-by-majorities-is-as-much-an-expedient-as-lighting-by-gas/) [William E. Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-gladstone/) > [The parliamentary principle of decision by majorities only appears during quite short periods of history, and those are always periods of decadence in nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-parliamentary-principle-of-decision-by-majorities-only-appears/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Majorities, as such, afford no guarantees for justice. They are men of the same nature as minorities. They have the same passions for fame,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/majorities-as-such-afford-no-guarantees-for-justice-they-are-men-of/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [I mean, we've had Republican majorities in the House and even the Senate for a couple of years. How has that worked out, stopping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-mean-we-ve-had-republican-majorities-in-the-house-and-even-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) ## More by Sheldon Whitehouse > [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [Muzzling our leading scientists benefits no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/muzzling-our-leading-scientists-benefits-no-one/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [Make your life your work, not your talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/make-your-life-your-work-not-your-talk/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [Citizens United is a disgrace of a decision, holding that corporate money is corporate speech and entitled to the same First Amendment protection as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/citizens-united-is-a-disgrace-of-a-decision-holding-that-corporate/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [We must unequivocally reject any cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/we-must-unequivocally-reject-any-cuts-to-social-security-or-medicare/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [Implementing the so-called 'Buffett Rule' would restore some badly needed fairness to our tax system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/implementing-the-so-called-buffett-rule-would-restore-some-badly/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [To be clear, I don't know whether the fossil fuel industry and its allies engaged in the same kind of racketeering activity as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/to-be-clear-i-don-t-know-whether-the-fossil-fuel-industry-and-its/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [The fossil fuel industry has taken control of, and powered up, architecture and methods originally built by the tobacco industry and others to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/the-fossil-fuel-industry-has-taken-control-of-and-powered-up/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [Getting past the influence of the fossil fuel industry will take courage, especially on the part of the Republican majority whom they so relentlessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/getting-past-the-influence-of-the-fossil-fuel-industry-will-take/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [We have seen the big loan servicers drag their feet in the Obama administration's well-intentioned mortgage modification program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/we-have-seen-the-big-loan-servicers-drag-their-feet-in-the-obama/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [We are here to do God's work. He's not here to do ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/we-are-here-to-do-god-s-work-he-s-not-here-to-do-ours/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [Talking to my Senate Republican colleagues about climate change is like talking to prisoners about escaping. The conversations are often private, even furtive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/talking-to-my-senate-republican-colleagues-about-climate-change-is/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [If everyone on the Court always voted for the prosecution against the defendant, for the corporation against the plaintiffs, and for the government against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/if-everyone-on-the-court-always-voted-for-the-prosecution-against-the/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [These core principles - helping patients, preventing medical errors, promoting best practices and improving quality - are the reasons that health IT is featured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/these-core-principles-helping-patients-preventing-medical-errors/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [The Heartland Institute is about as biased as they come, and it's funded by the likes of Exxon and the Koch brothers. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/the-heartland-institute-is-about-as-biased-as-they-come-and-it-s/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) [Explore all 138 Sheldon Whitehouse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Climate change may not be the most important issue to every American, but strong majorities do consider it a major problem, and they aren't likely to take seriously a candidate who denies the science and who is plainly in the pocket of the polluters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sheldon Whitehouse" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-important-issue-to-every-american/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-important-issue-to-every-american/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/sheldon-whitehouse-3144_american_climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-impor_1779350.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/sheldon-whitehouse-3144_american_climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-impor_1779350.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eaf/sheldon-whitehouse-3144_american_climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-impor_1779350.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Climate change may not be the most important issue to every American, but strong majorities do consider it a…” — Sheldon Whitehouse", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sheldon Whitehouse", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Climate change may not be the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-important-issue-to-every-american/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/climate-change-may-not-be-the-most-important-issue-to-every-american/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```