Climate change: Where 2020 Democratic candidates for president stand
Scientists in Chile say the region of Patagonia's largest ice sheet split in two in 2018, and the glaciers here are melting as quickly as nearly any others on the planet. (Shutterstock)
The first 2020 Democratic presidential debates spent 15 minutes on climate change. That’s more than the candidates spoke about the issue during presidential debates for the 2016 election, but it’s much less than would satisfy some.
Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, has structured his presidential campaign with climate change as its central focus.
“This is a climate crisis, an emergency,” Inslee said at the first debate on June 26, 2019.
Many of the other candidates have plans to address climate change. Generally, the candidates support recommitting to the Paris climate agreement and carrying out a Green New Deal, at least in some form. But there are some exceptions.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper thinks the current Green New Deal, which includes guaranteeing a job to all Americans, would cause “needless tax increases” and “expansion of the federal government.”
The Democrats’ climate change proposals also splinter in terms of how they plan to cut emissions, specifically whether they support a tax on carbon.
As of this writing, candidates without specific or detailed climate change plans include Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department Secretary Julián Castro, and billionaire investor and activist Tom Steyer.
Here are the key points of the climate change discussion among the Democratic field.
Climate change basics
Climate change is an expansive issue, encompassing increased temperature trends, sea level rise, ice mass loss, changes in plant blooming and extreme weather events. Global warming refers to the long-term warming of the Earth.
Burning fossil fuels, like coal, oil and natural gas, has been the main source of greenhouse gas emissions into Earth’s atmosphere.
“We can’t make climate change go away anytime soon, because the greenhouse gases we’ve already put into the atmosphere have not yet exerted their full impact on the climate system,” said Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at Woods Hole Research Center.
Paris accord, foreign policy
Countries all over the world took a dramatic step to address climate change in December 2015 with the United Nations Paris Agreement. The deal is an attempt by most countries to limit a global temperature increase during this century to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Under the agreement, developed countries pledged to take the lead in reducing emissions and to support developing countries in similar actions. The United States is one of the top emitters of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion, according to the International Energy Agency.
Ex-President Barack Obama championed the Paris Agreement. But President Donald Trump announced his plans to pull the United States out of the agreement in 2017, contending that it was unfair to U.S. workers.
Some Democratic candidates have said they will make the goals of the Paris climate agreement more ambitious.
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s climate plan states that he’ll ramp up the targets of the agreement, make the commitments more transparent and enforceable, and, more broadly, integrate climate change into his foreign policy strategy.
Plans from Inslee and Hickenlooper also say they will incorporate climate change goals into U.S. trade agreements.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren proposed a plan to address climate change in her approach to national security. She wants the Pentagon to achieve net-zero carbon emissions for its non-combat bases and infrastructure by 2030.
Green New Deal
Seven of 10 Democratic presidential candidates who are members of Congress co-signed the Green New Deal, a resolution that addresses climate change, pollution, and income and racial inequality. The Democratic measure was introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Ed Markley of Massachusetts in February 2019.
The Green New Deal focuses on goals to combat climate change, rather than specific paths. It calls for a transition to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy and an energy sector powered entirely by zero-emission sources.
The Democratic presidential candidates who co-sponsored the deal are Warren, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Inslee, a current governor, wants to put the deal into action through investing in clean energy and expanding jobs in the solar and wind sectors. His clean energy plan claims that, by 2030, the country will reach zero emissions in new light- and medium-duty vehicles, zero-carbon pollution from new commercial and residential buildings, and a requirement for 100% carbon-neutral power.
Several candidates incorporated economic and racial justice into their climate change proposals through protecting public lands, addressing environmental and health threats, and creating jobs.
Alvaro Palacios Casanova, a senior policy advocate at the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, told PolitiFact that coming up with solutions to benefit environmental and social justice causes is difficult due to the fossil fuel industry’s political influence.
As of July 24, 2019, 21 Democratic presidential candidates signed a pledge to not take any contributions over $200 from oil, gas and coal industry executives, lobbyists and political action committees. Bullock, Hickenlooper and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney haven’t signed the pledge.
Carbon pricing
Various Democrats have incorporated putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions, typically through a tax, into their climate change plans. They include Biden, Delaney, Gillibrand, Hickenlooper, Inslee, South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak, author and activist Marianne Williamson, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
In a January 2019 opinion piece, a bipartisan group of economists said that a carbon tax is the most cost-effective method to reduce emissions "at the scale and speed that is necessary."
Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told PolitiFact that climate change mitigation efforts need to be broad-based.
“A city by itself, or a state by itself or a small country like New Zealand can’t solve the problem or even necessarily do a carbon tax responsibly, unless everybody does it,” Trenberth said.
This story was produced in partnership with the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a multi-newsroom initiative founded by the Miami Herald, the Sun-Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, the Orlando Sentinel, WLRN Public Media and the Tampa Bay Times.
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