The two candidates for the presidency of the United States – Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – have radically different views on how the United States should fight climate change.
Euronews writes about it.
Kamala Harris
This presidential candidate was one of the early sponsors of the Green New Deal, a sweeping series of proposals aimed at rapidly transitioning the United States to an all-green energy system. Her campaign also emphasized the importance of U.S. leadership in combating climate change and economic growth through sustainable initiatives.
Environmental groups, which mostly support Harris, call her a "proven climate champion" who will take on "big oil" and build on Biden's climate legacy, including policies that promote electric cars and limit warming pollution from coal-fired power plants.
More than half of US adults said they trust Harris "a lot" or "somewhat" when it comes to fighting climate change, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in July.
Donald Trump
While Harris has yet to lay out a detailed climate action plan, Trump has made it clear that he intends to reverse many of the Biden administration's "kamikaze climate regulations."
The last Trump administration tried to repeal more than 100 environmental laws. Allies of the former president say that thanks to a conservative judiciary, including the Supreme Court, and people in government loyal to him, it will be easier for Trump to dismantle the rules this time.
The former president, in his opening speech at the Republican National Convention, chanted "drill, baby, drill" and promised to destroy the "new green scam" of the Biden administration. He has promised to increase fossil fuel production and repeal key parts of the 2022 climate law.
When Hurricanes Helen and Milton hit the US, causing death and destruction, scientists warned that these powerful storms were most likely caused by climate change. After them, Trump once again dismissed climate change as "one of the biggest scams of all times and nations."
About 7 in 10 respondents said they trust Trump "not much" or "not at all" when it comes to the climate, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.
The position of the presidential candidates on electric cars
Trump has often criticized Biden's tough new car emissions rules, calling them a "mandate" for electric cars. He stated that the production of electric cars will destroy jobs in the automotive industry. However, in recent months he has softened his rhetoric, saying he favors a "very small proportion" of cars being electric.
Industry officials expect Trump to abandon Biden's policy on electric cars and try to reverse tax breaks that Trump says benefit China.
Harris did not announce a plan for the development of electric cars, but in the position of vice president strongly supported them.
Trump and Harris on the Paris Agreement
Trump, who has called climate change a "hoax," withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Paris climate accord. He promised to do so again during his second term as president. Trump called the global plan to reduce carbon emissions unfeasible and a gift to China and other big polluters.
He recently called the deal a "steal" and there is speculation that Trump may even try to pull the US out of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which underpins the deal. This will deprive the country of the opportunity to participate in future international negotiations on climate change.
The US returned to the Paris Agreement shortly after Biden took office in 2021, and Harris called this agreement critical for solving the problem of climate change and protecting "the future of our children".
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote about what will be the climate policy of Kamala Harris, if she leads the United States.
