62 Time September 23, 2019
spend heavily or cut production, according to the National
Climate Assessment, a report from more than a dozen U.S.
federal agencies on the impacts of climate change.
Surveys have historically identified farmers as skeptical of
climate science, but in Iowa there are hints that this may be
changing. Aaron Heley Lehman, president of the Iowa Farm-
ers Union, says climate has become a regular topic of conver-
sation among farmers. Greg Franck, a self-described “farm
boy” who lives in the Des Moines area but has worked in ag-
riculture, described a recent meeting he attended in south-
west Iowa, where farmers gathered to hear advice from fed-
eral government scientists on how to adapt to the effects of
climate change. “There’s hope there,” he says.
the surge of interest explains why Democratic candi-
dates have become increasingly attuned to climate issues as
they crisscross the state. At campaign stops in rural areas in
the summer of 2019, the grim future for farms in a climate-
changed world was a frequent subject of questions for pres-
idential candidates. In urban areas, concerns about climate
change often come up through discussions about water qual-
ity, since spikes in precipitation and flooding have swept
chemicals in agricultural soil into the water supply. The town
of Pacific Junction, near the state’s western border with Ne-
braska, has become a frequent stop for Democratic presi-
dential candidates since a levee breach nearly wiped it off
the map earlier this year. “It’s a reminder,” Warren said on a
Aug. 7 visit. “Everything is changing.”
Conversations like these have translated into policy pro-
posals. In April, O’Rourke was the first Democratic presi-
dential candidate of the 2020 campaign to release a compre-
hensive climate plan, calling for a $5 trillion investment and
the elimination of greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. Many
climate advocates lauded it, but they weren’t his only audi-
ence. After the former Texas Congressman spent weeks on
the trail in Iowa—including a visit with Russell—O’Rourke
updated his white paper with more robust provisions to help
farmers, including a funding stream for those who sequester
carbon dioxide in their soil.
By the time the Iowa State Fair rolled around in August, at
least seven Democratic candidates had put out similar pro-
posals, from Booker’s pledge to provide the Department of
Agriculture with tens of billions of dollars in conservation
funding to Bennet’s idea to create a new research agency to
focus on climate solutions for farmers. “Candidates are not
just showing up and walking through the state,” says Russell.
“They’re sitting down and listening.”
None of this is to say that climate change will be the de-
fining issue of the Democratic primary or that Iowans are
now single-issue voters. And while the presidential hopefuls
have all committed rhetorically to the cause—using language
like “existential threat” and “climate crisis”—the strengths
of their plans and commitments to the cause vary.
For many of the candidates, climate change has thus far
remained a secondary concern in their careers with few of the
members of Congress in the race having proposed comprehen-
sive climate legislation before this year. And many still haven’t
met the demands of today’s climate advocates. Klobuchar’s
Clockwise from top left: Harris visits
Russell on Aug. 11 at his farm in Lacona,
Iowa; Russell talks with O’Rourke on
June 7; Warren discusses agricultural
practices with farmer Ron Rosmann
during a campaign stop in Harlan,
Iowa, on Aug. 8; President Trump tours
an ethanol facility in Council Bluffs on
June 11 with renewable- energy executives
Mike Jerke, left, and Geoff Cooper