The CNN Climate Crisis Town Hall: What You Might Have Missed

On September 4, CNN hosted a televised Climate Crisis Town Hall where Democratic presidential hopefuls outlined their climate policies and answered questions from a studio audience and viewers around the country. The seven-hour event featured a wide-ranging set of issues, from carbon pricing mechanisms and potential legal action against fossil fuel executives to geoengineering and U.S. engagement in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

While some talking points created national headlines, this article reviews the candidates’ policy ideas that were not featured in the news but are critical in moving the conversation forward on climate change.

Carbon Pricing

Carbon pricing was a key topic of the Town Hall, with candidates detailing a variety of plans including carbon fees and cap-and-trade.

Sen. Kamala Harris endorsed a carbon fee, which would be assessed on “upstream” polluters (e.g., oil refineries). The funds collected from the fee would be distributed to “frontline” communities, those most at risk from climate change impacts. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke supports a cap-and-trade program, which would limit the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions generated by carbon-polluting industries. Sen. Elizabeth Warren proposed a border carbon adjustment—a fee, based on the cost of complying with U.S greenhouse gas restrictions, on all imported goods coming from countries that subsidize the fossil fuel industry. Other explicit endorsements of carbon pricing came from former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Sustainable Farming Practices

Multiple candidates also raised the topic of sustainable farming practices. Andrew Yang stated that increasing government financial incentives to small family farms would allow them to carry out sustainable farming practices such as crop rotation and family-to-table supply chains.

Sen. Bernie Sanders highlighted the need for family-based agriculture and local food consumption. Sanders noted that the supply-chain system by which many Americans receive their food is carbon intensive, and it will need to become more localized to decarbonize the food production industry.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg also emphasized the need to reduce emissions in the farming industry, and he suggested zero-emission cattle farms as a possible solution. Finally, Sen. Cory Booker mentioned the need for agriculture reform because, due to corporate lobbying efforts, the United States has financially incentivized factory farming practices rather than family farming.

Just Energy Transitions

Candidates also reflected on how to facilitate a just transition away from fossil fuels for workers who depend on the industry for their livelihoods. Andrew Yang was asked how his flagship proposal, Universal Basic Income (UBI), would help fossil fuel workers in this transition. Yang replied that while UBI would not be enough to replace a two-worker family’s income, it would provide a cushion, making those families more resilient to financial struggle during the energy transition.

Sen. Sanders took a different approach, promising to guarantee five years of wages to any displaced fossil fuel workers. Sanders emphasized that fossil fuel workers are not his enemy, climate change is. Sen. Warren suggested employing people displaced by the energy transition in infrastructure development, an idea that would require reinforcing apprenticeship programs, community colleges, and other types of retraining.

In addition to plans to support those losing livelihoods, almost all the candidates emphasized the massive opportunity for new jobs in the clean energy economy. Job creation was also discussed as a way to pay for climate proposals, since income tax can be collected from the increased workforce.

Above all else, the town hall event gave the presidential candidates a much-needed opportunity to discuss and showcase their plans to address climate change, and it will hopefully encourage Americans to dive into the discussion and learn more about the potential solutions to the climate crisis.

Author: George Davidson