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Kamala Harris has a long history of supporting climate policy. This week’s announcement of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate further solidified sustainability as an important part of the Democratic platform.

As Governor of Minnesota, one of Walz’s first actions was to call for the state’s energy needs to be met by 100% renewable energy by 2050. He said at the time, “Climate change is an existential threat. We must take immediate action. If Washington is not going to lead, Minnesota will lead.” When he signed the clean energy bill into law, the deadline was shortened to 2040. In 2023 alone, he passed more than 40 climate initiatives in Minnesota, including measures to increase EV adoption, tax credits for electric bikes, solar panels on government buildings, starting a green bank, and many more.

The decision to add Walz to the ticket received widespread support from environmental groups like the Sierra Club. Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said, “He gets that climate action isn’t about politics, it’s about protecting our small towns and cities. It’s about creating safer and healthier communities for our kids and grandkids to grow up in.” 

Although Harris’s selection for VP received widespread support from environmentalists and climate advocates, some Democrats were confused by the pick. Most Democrats saw Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as the best candidate on paper, seeing his strong support as critical for winning the key swing state. One commentator said, “It’s all fun and games until you wake up 10,000 votes shy in Pennsylvania.”

Republicans also see Walz’s environmental progressiveness as a weakness and plan to use his climate activism to paint Harris-Walz “as the most radical left-wing ticket in decades.” 

A Stark Contrast

The other Vice Presidential hopeful, Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance, used to be an advocate of climate action and clean energy. As recently as 2020, Vance said that the US has a climate problem and that clean energy is a solution. Since joining the Trump ticket, he has shifted his position to embrace fossil fuels and question climate science.

New documents reviewed by Lever News gave an insight into Vance’s environmental positions. The documents revealed that Vance pressured the EPA to abandon regulations that protected steel workers from cancerous pollution, eventually weakening the rules. 

Reinforcing the contrast between the two parties on climate, a new study found that almost a quarter (23%) of the US Congress are climate deniers, all of which are Republicans. This number diverges significantly from other developed governments and is not representative of the American electorate, of which less than a fifth are climate deniers. 

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