Grading the Dems on Climate Change: Bernie Sanders

Where does Bernie really stand on climate change? CNN reports what he said on the campaign trail recently..

Let’s get to what I think is the heart of the matter:

The senator said that a couple of years ago he was asked what the major national security issue facing the US was, and “I said climate change, and people laughed. Wasn’t that funny? Well, people are not laughing now.”

“We are going to have to not only take on Trump and his deniers, but we are going to have to take on the power of the fossil fuel industry,” Sanders said.

Bernie hit the nail on the head. Right on the head.

He makes the importance clear at the outset:

“This, to me, is an existential crisis that impacts not just you and me and our generation but our kids and our grandchildren, and we must accept the moral responsibility of leaving these kids, future generations, a planet that is healthy and habitable,” Sanders said at a CNN town hall in Washington moderated by Wolf Blitzer.

The Vermont independent, who announced his 2020 candidacy last week, called climate change a human rights issue and said the US will have to steer its energy system away from fossil fuel toward “energy efficiency and sustainable energy,” adding that “the good news is that we know how to do that.”

There’s more there, the link is worth the read. But I’ll sum up:

Bernie emphasized the extremity of the climate crisis with as much force as any candidate — even Jay Inslee. “Existential crisis” says it all.

Bernie emphasized mitigation, which other candidates seem reluctant to do. And he wasn’t shy about what mitigation: fossil fuels. This Bernie Sanders guy understands that, and he seems to have the balls to fight the fight.

Bernie wasn’t just responding to an interviewer question: it’s a major part of his message. He’s the one who brought up the topic, and he’s the one who put it front and center with considerable force.

Evaluation: Prior to Jay Inslee’s candidacy, Bernie was doing more to keep climate change in the spotlight than any other candidate. Maybe he still is. He faces the challenge of emissions reductions, and promotes the amazing economic opportunity that there’s gold in them thar renewables.

Bernie Sanders gets an A. This time. Keep up the good work, Bernie.