This is a climate election. The stakes could not be higher. Earlier this week planet earth experienced the hottest day on record.
So last night I opted to attend a climate and clean energy organizing call for Kamala Harris, which raised over $101K from the climate community. (The white women for Kamala Harris call broke Zoom records with more than 100K joining the call and $1M raised in the first 30 min.)
It was a great call, and I learned a few things about Harris’s record on the environment and why I believe she’ll have our backs on climate policy:
She was one of the original co-sponsors of the Green New Deal and one of the few senators who jumped on to support it right away.
She teamed up with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on a bill called the Climate Equity Act.
She sued the Obama administration over fracking offshore in California, which paved the way for groups to ban offshore fracking.
In her 2020 platform, she called for ensuring indigenous communities have an essential voice in climate policy.
In 2020 platform she called for an organized phase-out of fossil fuels.
She cast the deciding vote for the Inflation Reduction Act, but she also put ideas in that bill, like getting rid of lead pipes in the infrastructure and funding for electric school buses.
She set up an environmental crimes unit in 2005, which was even before an Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore’s documentary about climate change) came out.
Here’s what several climate leaders said on the call tonight:
“She’s not associated with climate policy, but she deserves to be in a good way.” – Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
“The next president will be president in the most crucial years of the climate fight. The IPCC has told us we have to cut emissions in half by 2030, and this particular presidency will last until 2029.
We know exactly what Donald Trump wants to do with it because he’s laid it out in Project 2025. If you tried to design a blueprint for raising the temperature of planet earth, it would be Project 2025. Everything on the wishlist of Big Oil is in there. It even proposes ending the funding for NOAA that provide the thermometers that let us know how hot it is.” – Bill McKibben
“She’s a mix of joy and steel.” – Donnel Baird
“She has shown us that she’s not afraid of big oil and big gas. She has taken them to court and she has won. This is our moment, front lines!” – Roischetta Ozane
“Climate change ranks among the top three concerns nationally for Native communities.” – Jade Begay
“We will win this election if we bring this energy to the ballot box in November” – Dr. Leah Stokes
Overall, I know these fundraising calls are designed to raise people’s energy and generate excitement about stepping up to help elect a candidate. It was exciting for me to see so many of my heroes, people I’ve been following in the climate movement, all together in one place. I found it educational and inspiring.
Of course, it remains to be seen which of the pressing issues will rise to the top in this election, but since I’m a climate voter, I wanted to bring some facts to the surface. After all, it’s past time to get serious about facing the climate crisis, and I believe Kamala Harris is the only serious choice for this election. Onward!
Élan Young 