On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we're kicking off our weeklong series on the Democratic National Convention in Chicago by discussing Vice President Kamala Harris's climate agenda.
Two years ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law — the largest investment in clean energy and climate action ever. If Vice President Harris becomes President, she is expected to focus on implementing the law. If Donald Trump wins, he is expected to shred it.
Inside Climate News reporter Marianne Lavelle writes that Harris has invigorated the climate movement—with some groups that have never before endorsed presidential candidates declaring their support soon after Biden passed her the torch. They point to her history as a former California attorney general who took on oil companies, the environmental justice work she has focused on in the Biden administration and the historic nature of her candidacy as a woman of color. Her appeal only increased when she selected her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who implemented a $2 billion climate spending program in the state and signed a law to make the state carbon-free by 2040.
Guests:
Cassidy DiPaola, communications director at Fossil Free Media and spokesperson for the Make Polluters Pay campaign
Marianne Lavelle, award-winning reporter for Inside Climate News
Dharna Noor, fossil fuels and climate reporter for the Guardian US
Resources:
Inside Climate News: Harris Stirs Hope for a New Chapter in Climate Action
The Guardian: Harris is ‘perfect person’ to prosecute big oil, climate advocates say
Rolling Stone: ‘Make Polluters Pay’: Big Oil Slammed in Satirical US Billboards
The Guardian: Tax credits in Biden’s landmark climate law disproportionately benefit well-off
