Earth on fire
CNN aired a seven-hour marathon town hall on the “Climate Crisis” yesterday evening. The event featured the top 10 presidential candidates for the Democratic Party nomination, chosen using the Democratic Party’s criteria for its presidential debates.
The first CNN host of the evening, Wolf Blitzer, mentioned Hurricane Dorian in the first sixty seconds of the town hall, and he and the subsequent hosts returned to current reports about the hurricane during the program. Most questions came from the audience, both those in the room and others via satellite from various locations. Many of the questioners were environmental activists, students, or academics, and most such questions were very specific and pointed.
Here are some of the highlights of what each candidate, in order of appearance, had to say:
Julian Castro
–Called climate change an “existential crisis.”
–Said that, as president, he would have the United States rejoin Paris climate accord, plus take a series of executive and legislative actions, such as investing in renewable energy like wind and solar, applying a carbon tax on polluters, and prohibiting fossil fuel drilling on federal lands.
–Castro noted that poor neighborhoods are often the ones most vulnerable to flooding.
–Asked about his previous support for environmentally destructive fracking as a way to extract natural gas, Castro responded that, about a decade ago when he supported fracking as Mayor of San Antonio, natural gas was thought of as “a bridge fuel,” but now, “we’re coming to the end of the bridge.”
Andrew Yang
–Said he would replace the Gross National Product with a new measurement of economic well-being which includes things like the environment and the health of Americans.
–Called for investment in new technologies to fight climate change. Yang said the funds could come from eliminating government subsidies to fossil fuel companies, which Yang said amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars.
–Touted his plan to give Americans $1,000 per month in universal basic income as a way to help families deal with climate change, for example, assisting them in evacuating when a disaster such as a major hurricane is set to arrive.
Kamala Harris
–Mentioned that she has “babies” who are one and a half and three years old, and that she fears for their future if America does not take stronger action on climate change.
–Says that if Congress does not act on climate change, she favors taking executive action as president, as well as getting rid of the U.S. Senate filibuster (presumably requiring a Democratic majority in the Senate) in order to help pass the Green New Deal.
Amy Klobuchar
–Stressed that the effects of climate change are happening right now, from the historic strength of Hurricane Dorian to the floods in Iowa to the wildfires in California.
–Said she wants to bring back some of the positive steps taken under Barack Obama‘s presidency, such as the Clean Power Plan and increased motor vehicle fuel efficiency standards.
–Talked about the many job opportunities, for example, in the solar, wind, and electric car battery industries, that will arise when Americans take strong steps to fight climate change.
Joe Biden
–Joined some of his fellow candidates is saying that climate change “is an existential threat to the whole world.”
–Stressed his long record of taking on polluters.
–Brought an air of realism to the discussion, saying “plans are great, but executing on those plans is a very different thing.”
–Touted his experience in leading coalitions, which Biden said is crucial to stemming global climate change. Biden said that, under Donald Trump, “there is no leadership” on climate change.
Bernie Sanders
–Said that he wants to spend $16 trillion on his climate change program, which is almost as much as the entire U.S. gross domestic product of $21.3 trillion per year.
–Does not favor the repeal of the Senate filibuster.
–Said that FEMA should not keep spending money to rebuild homes and businesses in places that continue to be destroyed by natural disasters.
Elizabeth Warren
–Favors a carbon tax on polluters, as a way for them to “clean up their own mess.”
–Said she would attack “corruption” in Washington that favors fossil fuel companies and other polluters who contribute to climate change.
–Wants America to capture a big portion of the $17 trillion market in green energy and other technology related to climate change, which will also create millions of new jobs.
Pete Buttigieg
–Favors a carbon tax on polluters, and said that the revenues would be rebated to Americans on a progressive basis, with more rebates for lower income people.
–When asked what he would ask Donald Trump about climate change in a debate, said that he didn’t know if anyone can “get to” Trump and his Republican enablers on climate change, and thus, he would ask Trump, “would you please step aside” and let others lead on this issue.
–Pointed out that both religious and non-religious moral frameworks almost universally have an element of stewardship of our earth.
Beto O’Rourke
–Said that as president, he would prohibit new oil and gas leases on federal lands, including offshore.
–Favors a cap and trade system for pricing carbon, rather than a carbon tax favored by some of the other candidates. The revenues generated by selling “allowances” would be used to help Americans do things like install solar panels on their homes.
–Said that climate change is a popular issue that crosses party lines.
Cory Booker
–Would set the U.S. on a course to have “zero [carbon] emission electricity by 2030, and a carbon-neutral country by 2045.”
–Suggested that America needs to invest in protecting low-lying cities like Miami and Atlantic City, as well as providing incentives to build on higher ground.
–Noted that nuclear power will not be eliminated in the next 10 years. Therefore, said Booker, the focus must be on making nuclear power safer while it is still a source of U.S. energy.
The overall effect of having so many leading Democrats on the same stage, one after another, calling for major efforts to combat climate change was quite powerful. We have said from the beginning that, on the big issues, Democrats need to go on offense and drive the narrative. Last night, they did just that.
Photo by Cristian Ibarra Santillan, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/8OmHeC
