Like many self-proclaimed conservationists, there has always been an interest in how politics have and will continue to affect the environment. As the 2020 election looms, the eight Democratic Presidential nominees have each taken a stance on environmental policies.
Pete Buttigieg
Buttigieg’s climate plan utilizes a timeline to monitor the progress of American sustainability. He anticipates becoming a net-zero emissions society by 2050. Buttigieg’s plan states, “By 2025, double the clean electricity generated in the U.S; [b]y 2035, build a clean electricity system with zero emissions and requiring zero emissions for all new passenger vehicles; [b]y 2040, require net-zero emissions for all new heavy-duty vehicles, buses, rail, ships, and aircraft and developing a thriving carbon removal industry; and [b]y 2050, achieve net-zero emissions from industry, including steel and concrete, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors.” The former mayor has also released his Commitment to America’s Heartland plan to “invest nearly $50 billion over a decade in innovative research in soil technology, plant and animal health, food safety, nutrition and health, and natural resources; pay farmers to maximize land conservation, biodiversity, productivity, and soil health; establish next-generation Resilience Hubs to provide climate resilience data, tools, and support to communities;” and support the Renewable Fuels Standard.
Tom Steyer
As a candidate, Steyer has released his Justice-Centered Climate Plan, which will declare the climate crisis a national emergency and is contingent upon justice-based pollution reduction targets and actions, building a people-powered economy, transforming the Extraction Economy into a Regenerative Economy, investing in America, and building a climate-secure America. He has also released his International Plan for Climate Justice to renew America’s global leadership, strengthen global ambition and collaboration, and promote global equity as they pertain to the climate crisis.
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders has revealed his Green New Deal, a plan that aims to “reduce domestic emissions by at least 71 percent by 2030 and reduce emissions among less industrialized nations by 36 percent by 2030 — the total equivalent of reducing our domestic emissions by 161 percent.” Sanders plans to reach “complete decarbonization by at least 2050.” Bernie’s campaign website surmises, “Climate change is the single greatest threat facing our planet” and reflects plans to effectively combat it by “[transforming] our energy system to 100 percent renewable energy and creating 20 million jobs, [ending] the greed of the Fossil Fuel Industry and holding them accountable, and [rebuilding] our economy and [ensuring] justice for frontline communities and a just transition for workers.” Sanders is and has been notably invested in the climate crisis and has cited it as one of the main reasons he is running for the executive office.
Elizabeth Warren
Warren’s plan for public lands states that, on her first day as President, she will “sign an executive order that says no more drilling.” Warren will also “reinstate the methane pollution rule to limit existing oil and gas projects from releasing harmful gases that poison our air, and reinstitute the clean water rule to protect our lakes, rivers and streams, and the drinking water they provide.” She has suggested numerous environmental plans, some of which include the Defense Climate Resiliency and Readiness Act to advocate for a military lead in the fight against climate change, Green Manufacturing Plan to prioritize investing “$2 trillion over the next ten years in green research, manufacturing, and exporting,” Climate Risk Disclosure Plan to “reset the financial valuation of fossil fuel companies,” economic patriotism agenda to address the link between climate change and trade policies in America, and a New Farm Economy to “decarbonize the agricultural sector by investing in our farmers and giving them the tools, research, and training.” Warren will also focus on 100% Clean Energy, a timeline that seeks to achieve “100 [percent] renewable and zero-emission energy in electricity generation” by 2035, and environmental justice plan to “prioritize resources to support vulnerable communities.”
Amy Klobuchar
Klobuchar’s infrastructure policy proposal anticipates transforming the economy from being reliant on fossil fuels to being dependent on cleaner energy. Within her first 100 days as president, she pledges to “get the U.S. back in the International Climate Agreement; bring back the goals established by the Clean Power Plan; restore and strengthen our fuel economy standards; introduce sweeping legislation to combat the climate crisis that builds on the framework of the Green New Deal; create state, local and private incentives for the immediate adoption and deployment of clean energy technology to reduce emissions; reinstate the National Climate Assessment Advisory Committee; and end the Trump Administration’s censoring of climate science.” Her Plan from the Heartland commits to expanding energy efficiency and clean energy programs in rural America, while her climate plan anticipates the actions the Senator will take to address the climate crisis on a larger scale, some of which include ending federal tax subsidies for fossil fuel exploration and production and streamlining renewable energy production on federal land.
Joe Biden
Former Vice President Biden plans to enact a Clean Energy Revolution, through which he hopes to ensure the U.S. achieves a 100 percent clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050; make a historic investment in energy and climate research and innovation, as well as clean and resilient infrastructure and communities. Biden also plans to recommit the U.S. to the Paris Agreement and lead an effort to get every major country to ramp up the ambition of their domestic climate targets, stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities, and fulfill our obligation to those who powered our industrial revolution and subsequent decades of economic growth. Biden’s campaign website details that he will sanction legislation to establish “an enforcement mechanism that includes milestone targets no later than the end of his first term in 2025, make a historic investment in clean energy and climate research and innovation, and incentivize the rapid deployment of clean energy innovations across the economy.”
Mike Bloomberg
The former mayor has released his International Climate Priorities, which includes immediately re-joining the Paris Agreement, making climate change a top priority of U.S. foreign policy, protecting our country from climate-related security risks, and keeping the world’s most vulnerable people safe from the impacts of climate change. Bloomberg also announced his Plan for 100% Clean Energy which will propel our nation “towards a 100 [percent] clean-energy economy-wide future as soon as humanly possible and before 2050, slashing emissions by 50 [percent] across the entire U.S. economy in ten years” by “phasing out all carbon and health-threatening pollution in the electricity sector, ensuring 80 [percent] clean electricity by the end of his second term of office.” His campaign website suggests that “as president, Mike will ensure the federal government leads an ambitious agenda to accelerate the U.S. toward a clean energy economy.”
Tulsi Gabbard
Though Gabbard has not explicitly released any climate change plans, her campaign website states that she “is a champion for protecting our environment, ensuring clean water and air for generations to come, and investing in infrastructure and a green energy economy.” Gabbard explains, “Regime change wars are bankrupting our country and our moral authority. We need to redirect those resources into a renewable, sustainable economy that works for everyone and bring about an era of peace.” She has been outspoken in her quest for climate action, even sponsoring the Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act in 2017, which aimed to transition the country to 100 percent clean energy by 2035.
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