For Voters, There’s No Debate Around Climate Change

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The 2020 Democratic primary season has been remarkable for significant changes and reforms. The number of major candidates (29) was unprecedented in modern Democratic primary history, as was their diversity. A number of states switched from caucuses to primaries, and superdelegates’ influence was greatly reduced.

The debates changed too. DNC leadership, to their credit, announced a 12-debate schedule–up from nine in 2016.

And in late spring 2019, demands for a first-ever presidential climate debate were fueled by the increasingly apparent urgency of the climate emergency.

But those demands met with great resistance from DNC leadership, which downplayed the need for a climate debate, promising that the debates would address climate change “early and often.” And in August, despite efforts by many DNC members and advocacy by environmental and progressive groups including Sunrise, Greenpeace, Our Revolution and Climate Hawks, the full DNC voted down a climate debate.

Nine months and 11 debates have passed. Just two candidates remain in the race. While this cycle’s debates have addressed climate issues more than the 2012 and 2016 debates, that is only because the bar was incredibly low: in 2012 and 2016, not a single question was asked about climate in the primary or general election debates.

Engagement with the climate emergency during the debates so far has been mostly peripheral and superficial. It certainly has been neither “early” nor “often.” And moderators failed to connect the few climate questions asked to local manifestations of the climate crisis.

Taken together, these failures constitute a huge missed opportunity. A disservice to voters, the Democratic Party, the country and the planet. The debates could have showcased the strength of Democratic candidates on climate issues relative to Trump, or highlighted the differences among Democratic candidates’ plans. The debates could have engaged younger voters who traditionally have a lower rate of participating in elections. The debates could have highlighted regional differences in climate issues.

The debates also could have underscored the urgency of climate action. We need bold, ambitious climate policy, starting with the Democratic Party Platform.

Which is why the DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council is advocating for a climate plank guided by the following principles:

• Use the Green New Deal’s vision as a framework
• Address climate change with urgency, boldness and comprehensiveness
• Center environmental justice and a just transition
• Advocate for the use of executive actions regarding the climate emergency

Over the last several months, in parallel with the debates, the DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council has embarked on a listening tour across America, meeting with members of frontline communities and climate leaders. The climate crisis is complex — the nature and weight of the problems it causes are regionally different. We’ve talked with people who lost homes in the California wildfires; Iowa farmers whose flooded farms were unplantable; New Hampshire and Massachusetts activists working toward resilience for climate-vulnerable communities; Nevadans facing hellish heat waves; and South Carolinians fearing the loss of historic Charleston to sea rise.

Here’s a taste of what we’ve learned from those conversations:

1. The climate crisis is among voters’ top concerns across America. The conversations we had supported the polling on this. What the polling doesn’t necessarily convey is the sheer intensity of people’s concern for the future. This issue isn’t going to go away.
2. The devastation wrought by climate change is personal. Like the health care crisis –another top priority for 2020 Democratic voters –the climate crisis is not abstract to the people we’ve spoken with. At meetings in libraries, coffee shops, and classrooms across the country, we’ve asked how many have been personally affected by the climate crisis. At least half raise their hands. The rest know someone — a family member, a friend –who has been impacted.
3. The climate crisis is felt everywhere, but local impacts vary drastically. In South Carolina, people expressed concern about rising seas, retreating shores, hurricanes, and the threat of Trump’s proposed off-shore drilling. In Nevada, where climate was the most important issue for Latinx caucus goers, conversations centered on urban sprawl, oil and gas leases on public lands, and heat waves and their health impacts. In Iowa, flooding and extreme rain events. In New Hampshire, mass transit, climate resilience, and maple syrup production.
4. Skepticism runs deep and strong about the national Democratic Party’s commitment to averting large-scale climate chaos. This sentiment is expressed by frontline community members, local Democratic Party activists and leaders, and climate advocates alike. The failure to hold a climate debate or ensure that the debates addressed climate meaningfully, which was inexplicable to many, certainly reinforced this skepticism.

Everywhere we’ve gone, people have opened their hearts and minds to us, sharing their stories of how climate change is devastating families, businesses, and communities. They were glad to have advocates for this issue they care about inside the DNC. We’re grateful for that trust. And we’re fighting with them and on their behalf. We’re fighting for federal climate and environmental policy that’s informed by local and state experience and knowledge.

We’re advocating for a bold, ambitious climate and environment policy in the 2020 Democratic Party Platform.

We also believe the 12th Democratic debate should occur–it’s currently in doubt. In that final 2020 debate, meaningful, comprehensive climate questions should be asked–this time, in the bright light of what we’ve learned about crisis preparation and management from dealing with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis is a permanent entity of the DNC, created in August 2019 to ensure that the Democratic Party takes bold, ambitious action on the climate crisis and other environmental issues. Learn more at dncclimate.org and join in our online conversations DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council on Twitter or at on Facebook