Exclusive: How Sen. Schatz is talking about climate in an affordability crisis
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Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) in an interview with Axios' Ben Geman on Sept. 21. Screenshot: Axios
Americans are "connecting the dots" between climate and affordability strain, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said Monday at an Axios House event on the sidelines of Climate Week and the UN General Assembly.
Why it matters: But as pocketbook issues dominate a critical midterm race, Schatz says that doesn't mean the first thing he mentions to constituents is climate. Still, climate-tangent conversations — like utility prices and the data center boom — are looming over the polls.
Driving the news: "I think we should talk about climate in the context of people not being able to afford their lives," Schatz told Axios' Ben Geman, pointing to insurance non-renewals, soaring gas prices and rising utility bills.
- "It's not that difficult anymore for us to be able to say, look, one of the reasons things are getting more expensive is we're not addressing the climate crisis," he said, criticizing the federal government's renewables roadblocks.
- "The climate imperatives used to have to be balanced against people's pocketbooks, and now they are perfectly lined up," he added. "We do not have to make trade-offs. They are deciding to make the planet worse and make your pocketbook situation worse."
Catch up quick: Schatz has been a leading congressional voice on climate issues, representing a heavily petroleum-dependent U.S. state with high energy prices that's at particular risk from the impacts of climate change.
- The state has taken on an ambitious clean energy initiative that aims for 100% renewable energy by 2035 on the neighbor islands, including Maui and Hawaiʻi.
Friction point: The sweeping GOP budget bill signed into law by President Trump last year phased out wind, solar, and electric vehicle subsidies that the prior administration championed as tools to bolster clean tech.
- It's one front in Trump's broader rollback of Biden-era climate policies, including moves to kill regulations and a slowdown in permitting of renewables projects.
- In particular, administration officials have targeted wind power, which Trump has repeatedly criticized. Still, the AI boom is expected to drive a surge in clean energy this year.
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