For too long, such a high share of political candidates were (near) silent when it came to climate change that it was simpler to mention the few who ‘talked climate’ as, sadly, Climate Hawks were few and far between.
Seriously, this is changing.
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- In Virginia, quite a few of the new House of Delegates candidates — while focusing on local issues — were articulate and forceful when it came to environmental, clean energy, and climate change issues. In fact, 13 of the 15 winners taking seats from Republicans signed the pledge to take no contributions from fossil foolish interests. (Which, by the way, in Virginia primarily means saying no to the behemoth Dominion Energy, which is trying to buy its way to more fossil fuel infrastructure with two polluting and unnecessary fossil gas pipelines.)
- In Alabama, unremarked by most, Doug Jones speaks thoughtfully re climate and clean energy issues which were one of the items on his campaign issues. This is, of course, in deep-Red Alabama where Jones sought to thread the needle to victory. He didn’t shy from talking about climate change and, as the sub-heading to that article puts it, “The lesson to Democrats: Don’t shy away from climate change.”
- Tuesday night, as catching people celebrating sanity’s victory in Alabama, a Democrat targeted on retiring the fossil foolish Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, came up multiple times in my Twitter feed a la the below highlighting @IronStache. Spent a few months to learn a bit about “Iron Stache”, actually Randy Bryce.
..and then there's @IronStache gunning for Paul Ryan. Right now, it's 50/50 and @SpeakerRyan is sweating bullets tonight.
— ? Richard Bee???? (@allspinzone) December 13, 2017
From Randy’s issue page,
Instead of committing our country to reversing Climate Change, investing in renewable energy, and protecting the environment, Speaker Ryan is standing in the way of progress, applauding as the US retreats from an international commitment to preserve our planet.
- In my own #VA10, there is a gaggle of Democrats seeking the opportunity to put extremist Barbara Comstock out to pasture and almost all of them have something to say about climate. Dan Helmer, for example, is clearly a climate hawk — this is a central issue that drove him to quit his job to run full time. His latest fundraising appeal: “A deadly peril” (see after fold for all of it) began “Climate change is a deadly threat to civilizations across our globe.” (See after the fold …) The odds look good that, come January 2019, Virginia’s 10th will have a real Representative in the House and one who puts climate issues as a critical, core issue for legislative action.
E.g., while not quite everywhere I look, increasingly (above are examples, not an exhaustive list …) Democratic Party politicians are making climate change central to their statement of what matters and what they will work on if (when) elected.
The Climate Hawks Vote PAC (which, by the way, just announced endorsement of Sean Casten (campaign website), who has long been someone I paid attention as a leading thinker/actor in combined heat and power, with how to take waste heat and create value from it) has a real problem: unlike in past election cycles, there are a plethora of good climate champions running for office. Scientists, engineers, veterans, concerned citizens who pay attention to what experts have concluded about climate science are all greatly concerned about climate change risks … and, whatever the ‘political chattering consultancy class’ might say, they are making clear that this is an issue that matters and an issue that they will focus on if (when) elected. While many hoped/fought to make this the case a long time ago, that climate is becoming part of core messaging with so many candidates is a good harbinger of where policy making might go in a post-Trumpista/post climate-science GOP world.
Helmer 11 December 2017 “A Deadly Peril” fundraising appeal
Dear Adam,
Climate change is a deadly threat to civilizations across our globe.
From catastrophic natural disasters to rising sea levels, it’s going to take the whole world, working together, to protect our Earth and save our planet.
But just last week, we took a step backward in Virginia. Our State Water Control Board approved a new natural gas pipeline that will destroy local ecosystems and have a devastating impact on our planet — and they’re considering approval of another pipeline this week.
Our country used to be on the right track. Two years ago this week, the United States signed on to the ParisClimate Agreement, a plan created by the United Nations to help reduce emissions and lower our global temperature. It was a signal to the world that as one of the biggest emitters, we were committed to doing our part to stop climate change.
President Trump chose to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement over the summer — and now, we are the only country in the entire world that has rejected this life-saving plan.
Karen and I were lucky enough to spend a summer camping with our boys. We started at our home in Virginia and traveled all the way to Alaska. We taught Harris and Aaron the value of our environment at every stop along the way — including at Glacier National Park, where glaciers have melted at an alarming rate due to global warming.
It’s time to fight back against Republicans like Donald Trump and Barbara Comstock who side with polluters and refuse to acknowledge the facts: our climate is changing, and we must do something to save our planet.
VA-10 needs a leader who will fight for our environment first — not special interests or big oil. I’ll always fight to keep our planet green, both for us and for future generations. Join me to stand up to this administration and demand they do the same.