There is a myriad of issues that presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have starkly different views on; Climate change, “Big Oil” and clean energy are no exception. The Racquet Press spoke with the National Press Secretary for Climate Power, Eden Alem, about the climate implications that will be on the ballot Nov. 5.
Climate Power is an organization based in Washington, D.C. that seeks to educate Americans on the benefits of clean energy and the consequences of climate inaction as well as mobilize young voters to elect, “climate champions.”
“We’re an organization dedicated to building the political will and making sure we protect our climate and clean energy progress in the hopes that we expand it more in the future,” Alem described.
Part of the organization’s mission is holding “Big Oil” accountable for its role in polluting the environment. “Big Oil” refers to top oil companies in the U.S. such as Shell, ExxonMobil, BP and Chevron, that damage the environment and profit heavily from doing so.
Alem discussed presidential candidate and former President Trump’s involvement with “Big Oil”. As of Oct. 18, Trump has received $14.1 million in campaign donations from the oil industry due to his commitment to the industry’s continuation of their practices. The Harris campaign has received $500,000 from the same industry.
Trump had previously requested $1 billion from oil companies and promised in return to reverse and prevent climate justice legislation if elected President. His plans include increasing oil production and providing tax breaks to oil companies. His campaign has even adopted the motto, “drill, baby, drill.”
“Trump’s [Project 2025] promises to gut climate investments and destroy jobs. It is a 900-plus-page manifesto on how to gut everything good that the Biden-Harris administration has done,” said Alem about “Project 2025”, a Republican leadership proposal created by the Heritage Foundation. Several former Trump employees are a part of the creation of the document which mirrors Trump’s plans, though the former president himself has disavowed it.
Alem continued, “[The document includes] gutting our ability to prepare for and respond to extreme weather and climate disasters. It gives corporate polluters free rein to pollute our air and water at the expense of our health. It takes us backward by eliminating research into clean energy technologies. It’s literally a plan to ignore science and ignore the world that we live in.”
Alternatively, Climate Power supports Harris’ views and historic action on the climate crisis. In 2022, Harris cast the tie-breaking vote in Congress to enact the most significant climate legislation in history, the Inflation Reduction Act, which included plans to triple clean energy production, lower costs for Americans and create new clean energy jobs. Since then, 300,000 of those jobs have been created nationwide and $265 billion of investments have been made in new clean energy.
When asked about the Biden-Harris administration’s work on climate legislation, Alem said, “Because of that critical action … we’re seeing investments going into communities on the front lines of the climate crisis. We’re seeing investments in clean air and clean water going into communities across the country and making sure people have a livable and sustainable future … We’re seeing big oil being held accountable for their profiteering and polluting.”
These clean energy initiatives are taking place right here in Wisconsin. Dairyland Power Cooperative, a La Crosse cooperative that provides energy to the Midwest, was awarded a $579 million grant as part of the Biden-Harris initiatives to bring clean and affordable energy to rural areas. As a result, pollution is estimated to reduce by 3.3 metric tons of carbon each year.
Alem reflected on the dichotomy of the candidates; “With a Kamala Harris presidency, we’ll see continued progress on climate and clean energy, and with Donald Trump, we’ll just go backward in a way that is unlivable, I think, for our country and the planet,” she said.
College students and young voters have proven to be a key demographic this election and 75% of young people in the U.S. are at least moderately worried about climate change. In their efforts to engage this group of Americans, Climate Power launched the “Too Hot Not to Vote” campaign, which partners with celebrities to educate young voters on the climate stakes of this election.
“We’re working to engage and mobilize young voters through targeted ads, working with trusted influencers and partnering with celebrity co-chairs for our “Too Hot Not to Vote” campaign, which includes Bill Nye the Science Guy, it includes Sophia Bush, a whole bunch of other celebrities who are deeply passionate about climate and clean energy and protecting that progress,” said Alem.
Alem emphasized the importance of educating young Americans on the realities of climate change and how its consequences will manifest for them. She said many individuals aren’t aware of how intertwined climate is with the average American’s day-to-day life.
“Action on climate means good-paying jobs. It means lowering costs, it means a livable future. It means clean air and clean water. When we talk about climate action that way, we bridge that education gap a lot with people.”
Alem concluded with a call to action for the young voters of Wisconsin to vote with the climate and their futures in mind.
She said, “It is not a hyperbole to say this is the election of our lifetime. It is a climate election. This election determines whether we move forward on an issue that we have very limited time to act on or we go backward to a time where big oil billionaires have a say in what our country and our future look like.”
To register to vote, find your local polling place, or see what will be on your ballot, visit myvote.wi.gov, or vote.org for non-Wisconsin residents.
