— Written by Camryn Kirk

Not Surprising, but Totally Shocking 👀

Moderator Linsey Davis asked the only question about climate change in the debate. Trump didn’t answer the question at all and instead ranted about manufacturing jobs. As expected, Vice President Harris confirmed her commitment to tackling climate change. 

However, the unsurprising yet deeply shocking truth came up several times with Trump accusing Harris of planning to ban fracking. Harris defended her new position, which is that she won’t halt fracking.

As far as a president’s ability to end fracking, the reality is much more nuanced. A president can’t legally stop fracking without new laws since much of it happens on private land. But that excuse is unacceptable and must be overcome.

Another big issue is that Russia’s assault on Ukraine has further complicated America’s position on fracked gas. With Russia’s stranglehold on energy in Europe, the US exported more fracked gas to Europe.  

In a clear push to cater to undecided voters, independents, and swing staters, Harris called for diversifying energy sources and boasted about increased U.S. oil production under Biden.

Regardless of presidential powers or the war in Ukraine, if elected, there will be significantly more pressure for her to commit to more ambitious and clearer climate plans, which will need to include the phasing out of all fossil fuel extraction. 

💭For review, Let’s Look At Their Track Records on Climate

We do not usually see climate change or policy brought up in presidential debates, candidate forums, and interviews. Climate often does not come up at all, most definitely not enough. Due to this, debates are usually not extremely climate-centric and do little to inform the audience about the candidate’s stance on climate. Despite this, let’s look into what both candidates have said recently regarding climate:

• Vice President Kamala Harris: “In this election, many other fundamental freedoms are at stake…The freedom to breathe clean air, and drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis.”- Democratic Convention Speech, August 23, 2024 

• Former President Donald Trump: “The biggest threat is not global warming where the ocean's going to rise one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years…and you'll have more oceanfront property…To me, the biggest problem is not climate change.” - Interview with Elon Musk, August 13, 2024 

• Vice Presidential Democratic Candidate Tim Walz: “As governor of Minnesota, I bring those experiences together so we can tackle some of those hard problems: inequities, climate change, all of the things that we care about.”- August 7, 2024 

• Vice Presidential Republic Candidate JD Vance: “I’m skeptical of the idea that climate change is caused purely by man…It’s been changing, as others pointed out, it’s been changing for millennia.”- American Leadership Forum, 2022

What’s Coming Next?🗳️📺

On October 1, we’ll see a face-off between vice presidential candidates Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance. It has not been announced whether Harris and Trump will debate another time and if so, when.

🗳️VOTE! If you haven’t registered to vote for this election, if you’re reading this and consider yourself a climate person, voting is how you can contribute the most this Fall. Only 55 days until the election! Learn your registration status or how to vote in your state by clicking here.

🗞️Here are some of our favorite resources:

1. 10 Tough Climate Questions for the Presidential Debate | Marianne Lavelle, Kiley Bense, Liza Gross

2. A Fracking Fracas on the Debate Stage? | Mike Soraghan

3. US Election 2024: How Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Differ Starkly on Energy and Climate | Josh Gabbatiss 

Want to learn more about climate in this election? Drop a reply and let us know!

What We’re Watching 🎥, Reading 📚, and Listening to 🎧

Searching for more positive and informative climate content? Look no further!

• 🎥 The Tipping Points of Climate Change — and Where We Stand | Johan Rockström | TED

• 📰 Climate Solutions Week | Jackie Lay

• 🎧 In Hot Water | Sea Change

In Case You Missed It 👀

How can we tell more climate stories? By putting filmmakers and climate experts together! Are you a filmmaker? Are you a climate expert? Are you in NYC for Climate Week? Please sign up to connect, share, and disseminate more climate stories together! Click here.

The Climate Film Festival

The Climate Film Festival is a new cultural organization with an annual festival, year-round programming, and digital resources in New York City. It was founded in 2023 by a group of passionate climate professionals, artists, and curators. CFF soft-launched in 2023 with a sold-out “First Look” screening and panel event during Climate Week NYC, and it has continued to organize screenings and events with partners throughout the city. Get tickets here.