Do you enjoy forests, wildlife, comfortable weather and clean drinking water? Do you want your descendants to be able to enjoy them as well? If so, then you care about climate change! This global phenomenon affects everyone regardless of political affiliation, yet it has received less attention than it merits during this Presidential election season.
For an introduction to climate change and its impacts, check out the section “Why is it worth reversing Climate Change?” in my previous article. Long story short: the world’s leading scientists have agreed for a while now that climate change (caused by humans) is real. Leaders of major religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, also acknowledge the significance of climate change and the need to take rapid action. Its impacts, if unabated, will cause humans to go extinct, but before then, the world will become increasingly unlivable. We’re talking more and deadlier heat waves than those that already claim half a million lives a year; scarce potable water; violent conflict over water and natural resources; forced migration; rising sea levels causing entire island nations to disappear; and more frequent extreme weather events. Immediate action is vital to slow and reverse the damage from climate change. Every day we wait, the more expensive it becomes to avoid irreversible damage.
Fortunately, there are many ways each of us can contribute to the solution and create a livable, just future. One such lever for positive change is through our vote.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump hold very different views on climate change. As you read, I encourage you to suspend political affiliations. Doesn’t the survival of our descendants deserve our objective consideration?
Kamala Harris agrees with leading scientists that climate change both exists and is an existential crisis. She cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – which is touted as the most ambitious climate change policy in United States history. The IRA is on track to reduce economy-wide CO2 emissions by 35-43% below 2005 levels by 2030. It has also created more than 300,000 clean energy jobs since its launch in August 2022 and is predicted to create over 9 million jobs in the next decade.
If elected, Harris would continue implementing the IRA to mitigate climate change and create green jobs. The Pikes Peak Region would benefit from additional jobs in solar power and renewable energy. In addition, IRA investments in sustainable transportation would improve air quality in our community which would help reduce rates of cancer, lung disease, stroke, heart disease and complications during pregnancy.
Harris represented the United States at the Paris Agreements’ 28th annual Conference of the Parties (COP28). There, Harris emphasized to world leaders “Our action collectively, or worse, our inaction will impact billions of people for decades to come.”
Harris accurately portrayed the severity of climate change and the urgency of action. She has experience navigating these challenges on the international stage, restoring confidence in the United States’ position as a leading contributor to emissions reduction and global development. If elected, Harris could continue to set an example for other nations to follow toward taking meaningful action against climate change. Greater emissions reductions globally means that our community will benefit from more reliable water access, adequate rainfall, moderate weather, and manageable temperature changes.
Harris has a proven climate justice track record. As San Francisco’s district attorney, she created one of the first environmental justice units in the United States. As attorney general of California, she won multimillion-dollar settlements from Volkswagen for falsifying their vehicle emissions claims and from Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips for environmental violations. However, she has shifted her stance on fracking from opposing it to enabling it. This process of extracting natural gas is a step back in terms of climate mitigation and environmental protection. She has likely made this change in an effort to secure votes from swing states such as Pennsylvania. In a perfect world, she would maintain a pro-climate stance on issues such as fracking; encouraging a just energy transition for individuals working in that industry.
Globally, most countries’ plans for addressing climate change are insufficient to protect our future from severe impacts. The U.S. plays an important role in raising global ambition but must lead by example.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, says that climate change is a hoax. He withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, a global pledge to cooperate around reducing greenhouse gas emissions (the key lever to halt and reverse climate change) and protecting our shared future. In doing so, Trump significantly weakened the United States’ leadership in international fora and signaled to other governments that shirking their responsibility to reduce emissions was “okay”.
Globally, national commitments to reduce emissions are already wildly insufficient to keep temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius – the level at which our world is still relatively livable. If Trump were re-elected, he would likely withdraw from the Paris Agreement once again – further increasing the likelihood that national commitments fall woefully short to protect ourselves and future generations. The Pikes Peak Region would be more likely to endure more frequent droughts, higher temperatures, reduced water access and more extreme weather events. Furthermore, we could expect to see migrants from southern and coastal states and countries that will experience even more severe climate impacts.
During his first Presidential term, Trump rolled back or reversed more than 100 environmental regulations meant to protect wildlife and animals, curb deadly air pollution, reduce emissions, avoid water pollution, and reduce toxic substances. Trump also supported fossil fuel industries which contribute to climate change by approving major oil pipelines such as Keystone XL and Dakota Access and passing executive orders to call for loosened regulations on fossil fuel industries.
Americans’ health, and the natural resources upon which we depend are damaged by removing these protective measures. Trump has announced that, if elected, he would again rollback regulations which are meant to improve and ensure Americans’ quality of life and ability to stop climate change. Project 2025, created by The Heritage Foundation including former Trump officials, was written for “the next conservative President” and includes plans to abolish federal programs to halt climate change, and repeal incentives for individuals and businesses to adopt renewable energy. If Trump followed that blueprint, the Pikes Peak Region would lose out on clean energy production and job growth in exchange for polluted air and worsened health among those we love.
Trump also defunded foreign aid, climate, and environment government agencies by 28-31%. The United States is one of the largest international development donors globally working to reduce extreme poverty, improve living standards, and curb climate change. During his previous administration, Trump cut funding for climate action, environmental protection, and international aid from US agencies, causing significant amounts of life-saving programming to vanish.
I understand that there seems to be conflicting information everywhere, and we often feel misunderstood or offended by people of the other political party. Yet, we all desire a future in which humanity flourishes; where our grandchildren breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live safely and comfortably. Isn’t this future worth investigating further? Isn’t it worth opening our minds and hearts to?
Vote for humankind.
Ronnie Sullivan works for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) where he manages external communications and public resources on climate change and develops trainings on climate for staff around the world. His writing here does not represent the opinion of and is not affiliated with USAID.
