New Analysis Shows The Contrast Of Harris vs. Pence On Climate

Washington, D.C. — Tomorrow, Kamala Harris and Mike Pence will meet on the debate stage in Salt Lake City, giving voters an opportunity to further analyze the differences in their records on climate, conservation, and environmental justice. Americans around the country are overwhelmingly concerned about extreme weather events and after four years of Trump’s climate denialism, they are ready for bold climate action.

“Kamala Harris’ climate plans take science seriously, and recognizes that we must act immediately to address the climate crisis and fight environmental injustice,” said Climate Power 2020 Executive Director Lori Lodes. “On the other hand, Mike Pence denies science, both on COVID and climate change, and wants to give away more handouts to Big Oil CEOs and other polluters. We need to hear from each candidate whether and how they will listen to science and fight for bold climate action.”

The differences between Harris’ climate plan and Pence’ policies are as clear as the science on climate change: 

• Climate Science: While Harris listens to the science and believes in climate science, and has a plan that recognizes climate change as an existential crisis, Pence is a climate denier who has called climate change a “myth” and said the evidence was “simply not there.”

• Clean Energy Jobs: As Governor of Indiana, Pence killed 19,000 clean energy jobs by effectively ending the Energize Indiana program, and in Congress, Pence voted several times against tax credits for renewable energy production. Harris, on the other hand, supports investing in clean energy jobs and has cosponsored job-creating and energy-saving legislation like the National Climate Bank Act and the Community Energy Savings Program Act.

• Environmental Justice: Harris stands for marginalized communities. In the Senate, she proposed scoring bills on their potential consequences to poor and minority communities and put forward legislation to reverse a Supreme Court decision making it more difficult for African Americans and other groups to sue under the Civil Rights Act. Meanwhile, Pence has repeatedly ignored communities of color. As governor, he disregarded pleas for help with the lead crisis in mostly-Black East Chicago, IN, but immediately responded to lead contamination in a 97% white community later that same year.

• Carbon Pollution: While Pence was governor, Indiana sued the EPA over the Clean Power Plan. He had previously announced the state would not comply with the plan’s limits on carbon emissions. Rather than actively opposing emission-reduction policies like Pence, Harris not only has plans to reduce carbon emissions, but she has also fought to hold oil and gas companies accountable for their carbon emissions.

• Global Leadership: Harris supports rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. Following Trump’s withdrawal from the pact, Harris introduced legislation requiring the U.S. to meet the standards set by the agreement. Unsurprisingly, Pence supported Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, putting the planet at risk while leaders in Europe and China take strides in leading the clean energy economy.