will give candidates an opportunity to show
the distinctions between their plans as the
Democratic party’s base increasingly demands
aggressive action.
Nationally, 72% of Democratic midterm
voters said they were very concerned about
the effects of climate change, and 20% were
somewhat concerned. That’s according to
AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 115,000
midterm voters nationwide.
Last month, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
released his $16 trillion plan to fight global
warming, the costliest among the Democratic
field. His plan, which he is calling The Green
New Deal, declares climate change a national
emergency, calls for the United States to
eliminate fossil fuel use by 2050 and commits
$200 billion to help poorer nations reckon with
climate change.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has proposed
$1.7 trillion in spending over 10 years, on clean
energy and other initiatives with the goal of
eliminating the country’s net carbon emissions
by 2050. Some liberals have criticized Biden for
not being aggressive enough in confronting a
growing crisis.
The relatively minor differences among
Democrats on climate change come in sharp
contrast to President Donald Trump, who
has dismissed and mocked the science of
climate change and has reversed course on
U.S. climate policy. Trump made pulling the
country out of the Paris climate accord one
of his administration’s first priorities, and his
wholehearted support of the petroleum and
coal industries has been one of the enduring
themes of his presidency.
c. jardin
(C. Jardin)
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