The shifting political climate is revealing as many climate lobbyists who rarely backed Biden are now rallying behind Vice President Kamala Harris’s Presidential bid. This realignment of support came soon after Biden’s decision to step down from the presidential race. Harris, in the past, endorsed radical stances to tackle climate change such as the Green New Deal; a move that’s been welcomed by a certain group of enthusiast advocates.
The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led group with a primary focus on climate change, believes Harris could potentially reshuffle the deck in climate activism. However, the same group was reluctant to endorse Biden’s campaign just a month and a half prior. Harris’s ascent in the political scene seems to be directly linked with the climate rhetoric, which further solidifies her alignment with the leftists.
Harris has made her intentions clear: she plans to be the torchbearer of the climate change agenda. She touts her track record as a district attorney with active initiatives like environmental justice units in the nation. She further expressed distaste towards former President Trump’s dealings with the oil industry during his term, linking it with huge campaign contributions from lobbyists which, she believes, dictated his administration’s policy approach.
For conservatives, Harris’s avid climate support presents an opportunity to critique her stance and question her credibility. Trump’s allies pointed out her endorsement of banning fracking, painting her as a presidential aspirant who would potentially disrupt a well-established industry. They further critique her support for the Green New Deal, which Trump alternatively refers to as the ‘Green New Scam.’
Conservatives believe Harris’s strong climate focus could damage her political capital in critical regions like Pennsylvania, which heavily relies on oil and gas industries. They speculate this shift in climate response on the political platform might influence the overall narrative for the election; a scenario that’s hard to predict at this point.
Harris’s explicit climate policy alignment may be welcomed by either side of the political spectrum, pointing to a contentious election battle. In the backdrop of Biden’s unexpected step down, dwindling support from younger voters became apparent. While several factors may contribute to this waning interest, climate issues seem to play a substantial role.
Young Democratic voters who marked Biden’s victory in 2020 set great store by climate change matters. The Sunrise Movement claims to have reached about 3.5 million young constituents. However, Biden’s greenlight on a significant oil drilling project in Alaska left an undesirable taste in the mouths of many of these voters.
In contrast, Harris appears to spark enthusiasm among these climate-focused youth, a sentiment that Biden seemed to fail to instill. Regardless, a political chess game is unfolding as Trump seeks to centralize the energy issues in electoral discourse; he does this by frequently targeting Biden’s energy propositions in public addresses.
The pivot to debating economic impacts is unsurprising, with Americans flagging economy and inflation as significant concerns. Proponents of clean energy as a solution to these concerns face the challenging narrative that green energy could inflate costs. Though this assertion is largely unfounded, as clean energy often proves to be more cost-effective than fossil fuels, it does have the potential to sway public opinion.
Recent research from Third Way, a more Democrat-aligned D.C. based think tank, suggests voters favor candidates that propose handling inflation before addressing climate change. Pennsylvania, an economically significant state due to its vast oil and gas operations, is crucial for Harris to win over.
Media outlets and commentators are grappling to discern the implications of Harris’s stance for future climate policy direction. They indicate her earlier criticism of the oil and gas industry as an indicator of a probable hardline approach to climate change policy if she were to become President.
They further highlight her long-term alliance with the environmental justice movement, insinuating that vulnerable communities may gain more precedence in future climate change battles. However, such predictions should be taken with a grain of salt, considering the complicated political landscape Harris would have to navigate.
In addition to Congressional politics, Harris’s climate policy aspirations may be limited by a federal judiciary that increasingly shows skepticism towards radical climate change actions. Amid this, her time in office could largely be spent defending and furthering the more significant climate actions initiated during Biden’s presidency.
Despite the mixed opinions, an overall assessment of Harris’s potential climate agenda is hard to sketch out at this point. Yet, the anticipation of seeing how she will lead, especially when carrying forward Biden’s climate initiatives, and the subsequent reaction from different factions, serves as another point of contention in the political sphere.
Harris Banks on Costly Green Dream, Disregards Economic Impact appeared first on Real News Now.
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