The Democratic presidential candidates touted climate change and clean energy while taking their victory laps during their Super Tuesday primary election victories, marking the issues as increasingly important in gaining Democratic votes.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said his Republican rivals consider climate change “a hoax.” In his victory speech in his home state of Vermont, he said public policy to combat global warming cannot be done “unless you listen to the science. And the science is clear.” He said as president he would transition the energy system away from fossil fuels.
Later, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, speaking at a campaign event in Miami, didn’t mention climate change per se, but did say she would provide “enough clean energy to power every home in America.”
Environmentalists say Clinton’s comments have come a long way on the issue of clean energy and climate change, saying just a few months ago she was answering “no comment” on such contentious climate change issues as the Keystone XL pipeline.
“That’s a sea change, a direct result of the climate movement’s growing ability to turn the tide in our direction,” said Jason Kowalski, a spokesman for the group 350 Action, which is part of a nationwide campaign to pressure the candidates to embrace a policy to keep oil and coal in the ground. “Over the coming months, we’ll continue to push all the candidates to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and fight for climate justice.”
Sanders has become emboldened on the issue of climate change, said Yong Jung Cho, 350 Action campaign coordinator. “The momentum behind the Sanders campaign shows that there is a huge demand for bold climate solutions across the country,” Cho said.
On the Republican front, “Trump wouldn’t just be a disaster for the United States, he would be cataclysmic on a global scale,” Kowalski said. “The next president must lead the way in building a new, clean energy economy.
“Trump would just come in like a wrecking ball.”
