Environmentalists came away from the Democratic National Convention pleased with how frequently climate change was talked about during the week, even though Hillary Clinton barely mentioned it in her nomination acceptance speech.
Clinton drew huge cheers when she declared “I believe in science” and that climate change is real during her acceptance speech for the presidential nomination, mentioned her support for the Paris Agreement and her plans to create “millions of clean energy jobs.”
But, otherwise, her speech was spent slamming Republican nominee Donald Trump and making the case for her candidacy.
That was just fine with Kevin Curtis, executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund.
“Climate and clean energy were among a handful of truly central issues at the DNC this week — and that’s unprecedented, by the way,” he said. “Hillary Clinton has been clear and forceful about the chasm between her and Donald Trump on this issue, and the party platforms reflect that as well.”
The line declaring her belief in science was one of the highlights for David Willett, senior vice president of communications for the League of Conservation Voters.
He said Clinton’s clean energy plans are central to her candidacy, even if they weren’t mentioned very often during her acceptance speech.
“We are thrilled that in her history-making speech, Hillary Clinton talked about the importance of acting on climate change,” Willett said in an email. “Her declaration of ‘I believe in science’ drew one of the biggest cheers from the crowd all night, and stands in stark contrast to the climate science-denying Trump-Pence ticket.
“Hillary’s plan to make America a clean energy superpower isn’t just part of her climate change agenda. It’s also core to her vision for an economy that works for everyone, so we’re very confident that she will continue to make the case for climate action and clean energy both in her campaign, and her administration.”
Many Democrats mentioned climate change during speeches this week at the convention, and environmental issues were the topic of several forums on the sidelines.
Top environmentalists such as Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters, made the case that it’s going to be one of the top issues during the general election due to Clinton’s ability to draw stark contrasts between her and Trump on the issue.
Trump has been slammed by environmentalists as a climate change denier who has called it a hoax invented by the Chinese. Curtis said he’s confident Clinton will keep raising these differences through the rest of the election.
“It’s both good policy and good politics to talk about growing a clean energy economy while fighting to curb climate change, and we have no doubt the Clinton campaign will continue to highlight a clear contrast with Donald Trump,” he said.
Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, agreed Clinton’s speech was an important way to contrast her message of action with Trump’s rhetoric, which he called divisive.
Brune said Clinton has real proposals to fight climate change, protect public lands and promote clean energy in the United States. He said that’s a far cry from Trump’s promises to pull out of the Paris Agreement and eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Clinton spoke of a unified America, a country that, when working together, can tackle our greatest challenges,” Brune said. “This is the mentality and effort that is needed for us to accomplish her plans to stop climate change, and it couldn’t be further from the Republican presidential nominee.”
