Harris, a Californian who calls climate change an „existential threat,“ has prioritized investments in clean energy jobs and environmental justice.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ emergence as the leading Democratic presidential contender has garnered a renewed sense of optimism among environmentalists who say she offers a strong track record of climate and clean energy policies and would continue to advance that work in the White House.
“I’m ecstatic — I couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Leah Stokes, an associate professor of climate and energy policy at UC Santa Barbara, on Monday.
“Kamala Harris is a climate and environmental justice champion, and she has been for over two decades,” Stokes said. “We have a real shot to not just win the White House and have a climate president again, but also to secure strong majorities in the House and the Senate and have an opportunity to pass more climate legislation — which is what we need to do if we want to be on track to meet the targets that scientists say are necessary.”
Harris, a Californian who has previously described climate change as an “existential threat” that must be treated with a sense of urgency, has prioritized investments in clean energy jobs, air and water protections, fossil fuel accountability, climate action and environmental justice, Stokes and others said in the wake of Sunday’s announcement that President Biden was withdrawing from the race.
“We’ve endorsed her every step of the way in her political career, and for good reason, because she has led on climate justice and climate action in every role,” said Mary Creasman, chief executive of the nonprofit group California Environmental Voters.
Harris’ environmental platform stands in stark contrast to that of Republican nominee Donald Trump, whose previous climate record includes rolling back more than 100 climate regulations and appointing climate change deniers to senior posts in the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior.
Project 2025, touted as a road map for a Republican administration, outlines plans to expand oil and gas drilling, dismantle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its offices — including the National Weather Service — and other steps that would address the Biden administration’s “radical climate policy” and “unprovoked war on fossil fuels,” according to the document.
Environmental experts and advocates say Harris offers a promising antidote to such plans. The vice president played a key role in securing the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, often credited as the biggest investment in climate action in U.S. history, and a Harris presidency is likely to see the effort continue.
“We have a climate champion in the White House in President Biden, and we’re going to have one in Vice President Kamala Harris,” said Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power, a strategic communications organization.
The group pointed to a long list of environmental achievements that span Harris’ career as vice president, U.S. senator and California attorney general.
As vice president, Harris has met with more than 100 world leaders on climate issues and has championed the goal of halving climate pollution by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. She led the administration’s Action Plan on Global Water Security, which seeks to increase international access to clean, safe drinking water, and cast the deciding vote to advance the landmark Inflation Reduction Act in the Senate.
