Aug 21, 2019

Kamala Harris joins CNN climate change town hall after criticism from activists

Ben Geman

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

2020 Democratic contender Sen. Kamala Harris' campaign announced Tuesday that she will take part in a Sept. 4 CNN town hall on climate change after initially declining due to a scheduling conflict.

Why it matters: She has said rather little about her climate platform compared to detailed plans from some other top-tier hopefuls.

What they're saying: "We were happy to change our schedule to accommodate such a critical conversation," Harris spokesperson Lily Adams told multiple outlets. "As Harris has said, this is a climate crisis and is one of the most urgent reasons we need a new president."

The intrigue: Harris' reversal followed criticism from some climate activists, including the Sunrise Movement, over her initial decision against participating.

  • It's still unclear whether Harris will have unveiled details about her plans ahead of the event. The campaign did not respond to inquiries.

Go deeper: Jay Inslee unlikely to qualify for CNN's climate change town hall

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Ursula Perano

Democratic National Committee votes down climate-focused debate

Photo: Photo: Chris Conway/Getty

Democratic National Committee officials voted 17-8 on Thursday against a proposal to host a primary debate focused exclusively on climate change, according to HuffPost.

The big picture: Environmental activists, including the youth-led Sunrise Movement, have been pressuring the DNC for months to host a first-of-its-kind debate on the climate crisis. Top officials say it would open the floodgates to other single-issue debates on topics like health care and abortion rights, and also worry that it could harm the eventual nominee in the general election by alienating voters in states that rely on the fossil fuel industry, per HuffPost.

Go deeperArrowAug 22, 2019
Orion Rummler

Climate crisis town hall: What you need to know

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Ten 2020 Democratic candidates took questions at a 7-hour CNN town hall Wednesday night about how to tackle a "climate crisis."

Why it matters: It was their chance to talk to a broad audience about proposals that some of them have unveiled in just the last few days. Scientific reports from the last 2 years suggest the world is at tipping point to confront the effects of global warming.

What they saidArrowUpdated Sep 5, 2019
Rebecca Falconer

Steve Bullock tells CNN town hall: We can be carbon neutral by 2040

Steve Bullock. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock told a CNN town hall in New York Sunday that it's possible to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040 "or even earlier."

Details: That's much faster than UN goals for world leaders to commit to net zero emissions by 2050. Bullock pledged at the town hall to start tackling the climate crisis by rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, which President Trump announced in 2017 he would withdraw the U.S from.

Go deeperArrowAug 26, 2019