Across America, Climate Wins

Washington, D.C. – For the second night in a row, Democrats made action on climate a centerpiece of the Democratic National Convention. Twenty speakers, from a diverse array of communities, highlighted the need for and promise of bold climate action.

Tonight’s theme is “A More Perfect Union.” And a more perfect union means tackling climate change.

The primetime programming includes a conversation with young climate activists who will “talk about how they’re taking control of their future, and why they need a president like Joe Biden who will work with them,” according to the Biden campaign.

The programming will also include remarks on climate from New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and a video narrated by an IBEW union worker from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that explores Joe Biden’s plan to combat climate change and secure a clean-energy future. This focus on climate shows climate’s importance in 2020, and puts climate action on par with health care, combatting the coronavirus, and the economy as major issues campaigns know will move voters this year.

A July Climate Power 2020 poll found that voters, especially young and Latino voters, overwhelmingly support bold government action to combat climate change. And those voters are key to victory for Joe Biden and other candidates up and down the ticket in races across the country.

Today is also the day America will be introduced to a climate action champion: vice-presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris. Sen. Harris puts science first, acknowledges the magnitude of the climate crisis, and she has never been afraid to stand up to fossil fuel special interests. She is also a leader on environmental justice and has vowed to make it a central part of any plan to address the climate crisis.

Interested in Connecting with a Political Expert or Activist? We have a number of political, climate, and environmental justice advocates and experts available to connect to discuss the importance of climate change in the 2020 elections and contrast the climate and environmental records of President Trump and those of Joe Biden and Sen. Harris. You can find a list of experts and activists here.

ICYMI:

• New York Times: Climate Donors’ Flock to Biden to Counter Trump’s Fossil Fuel Money
  • “As former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. prepares to assume the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, the changing climate is now a core campaign issue — and a focus for fund-raising.”

• NPR: 4 Takeaways From Night 2 Of The Democratic National Convention
  • “Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, and her son John Schlossberg, were given prominent roles, which they used to describe Biden’s ties to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, arguing Biden was a bridge from the past to the new generation of Democrats focused on climate change.”

• The Atlantic: The Climate Crisis Is Still a Crisis
  • “If the fate of American democracy is on the ballot in November, so too is the future of the planet.”

• E&E News: Biden adviser touts climate, energy plans
  • “Former Vice President Joe Biden would prioritize climate change and clean energy in his first four years as president, a top adviser said today.”

About Last Night – Climate Across America  

• Delegates from AK, CA, ID, MA, MI, NH, NM, OH, VT, WI 
  • Alaska veteran and fisherman Chuck Dengan: “The waters we rely on to feed our families and make a living are threatened by climate change. When Joe Biden was vice president, he and President Obama made sure Alaska’s tribes had a say in how these waters were managed. Donald Trump took it away.”
  • California Rep. Barbara Lee and Sec. Hilda Solis: “Climate change is not a hoax, it’s real, and communities of color have been bearing the brunt of this reality for generations. Joe Biden’s plan to crack down on polluters, to protect our air and water is about environmental justice and economic justice. He’ll prioritize equity and bring new clean energy jobs to Black and brown neighborhoods because that is how we build back better.”
  • Idaho Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise: “We’re not waiting for Washington to act on climate change. Here in Boise, we know that clean energy doesn’t just mean a healthier planet, it means good-paying jobs. Imagine what we can do with a president that listens to science and leads with courage.”
  • Massachusetts State Rep. Claire Cronin: “We need a plan to get the economy going again. Joe Biden will get the pandemic under control, create new jobs in manufacturing in clean energy, help small businesses in our restaurants recover, and build back better so that our economy is stronger and fairer than it was before.”
  • Michigan UAW Secretary-Treasurer Ray Curry: “Now he’s got a plan to create a million new auto jobs by investing in clean energy.”
  • New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch: “Joe provides the leadership necessary to bring us back from this awful pandemic. Joe has a plan to attack global climate change once and for all.”
  • New Mexico Tribal member and state Rep. Derrick Lente: “New Mexico is a diverse state, home to 23 indigenous sovereign nations. With a rich, multicultural history. We are all united with love of this beautiful place that we call home. And we believe that we owe it to the next generation to protect the natural and cultural resources that are their inheritance.”
  • Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan: “He actually has a plan to bring jobs back to America. Like electric vehicles or a national network of vehicle charging infrastructure that will create good-paying jobs for skilled union workers.”
  • Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman: “The state of Vermont strongly believes in economic justice, social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice, proudly supporting democracy and the constitution of the United States, and opposed to the authoritarianism and racism of the Trump administration.”
  • Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes: “We know we build a better future by channeling Wisconsin’s legacy as the birthplace of the labor and progressive movement and uniting around a bold agenda that uplifts every community. In the pursuit of a more just future, that recognizes health care as a human right and tackles the climate crisis and takes on racial and economic justice.”

• Jonathan Nez, Navajo Nation President: “Joe has a major plan to invest in clean energy infrastructure.”

• Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture: “In Florida, on the front lines of our climate crisis, we’re working to produce more renewable energy and shrink our carbon footprint.”

•  Stacey Abrams: “A president who only knows how to deny and distract.”

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: “We will take strong decisive action to combat climate change and save the planet.”

• John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg: “For my generation, it will define our future. We need to tackle climate change.”

• Former President Bill Clinton: “How? He’s given us smart detailed plans to invest in areas vital to our future: innovative financing for factories and small businesses; good jobs in green energy and conservation to combat climate change; a modern infrastructure that brings small town and rural America the connectivity and investment others take for granted; and a plan to ensure that Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, women, immigrants, and other communities left behind are full participants in the economy and our society.”

• Bob King, Former President of the United Auto Workers: “We can create good-paying union jobs while combating climate change.”

• Former Secretary of State Colin Powell: “He will restore America’s leadership in the world and restore the alliances we need to address the dangers that threaten our nation, from climate change to nuclear proliferation.”

• Former Secretary of State John Kerry: “For the eight years of the Obama-Biden administration, we led by example. We eliminated the threat of an Iran with a nuclear weapon. We built a 68-nation coalition to destroy ISIS. We forged a 195-nation agreement to attack climate change.”