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Week in Review: December 13, 2019

Dec 13, 2019

California has been hit with dangerous wildfires this year – and scientists say that climate change has made the state’s fire season longer and more intense. So it’s no surprise that a new poll from the Los Angeles Times shows that Democrats in the state say fighting climate change is their top priority.

Pummeled by fires, drought and floods, California’s Democratic primary voters put fighting climate change at the top of their list of issues for the next president to tackle.

Nearly half of likely Democratic primary voters call the issue the No. 1 priority for the next president, according to a new statewide poll conducted by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies for the Los Angeles Times.

As Amy Klobuchar noted last month, next week’s Democratic debate in California will take place just miles from where wildfires had been raging.

Also this week, Mike Bloomberg announced his plan for a 100% clean energy future that would reduce carbon pollution by 50 percent economy-wide by 2030 and reduce carbon pollution from the power sector by 80 percent by the end of his second term. The plan prioritizes investments in communities most affected by toxic pollution and climate impacts, including low-income communities, tribal communities and communities of color, as well as communities at risk from being left behind in the transition to a clean energy economy. The plan phases out fossil fuel subsidies and stops drilling on public lands while recognizing the need to monitor, study, and address the cumulative impacts on communities overburdened by toxic pollution.


Here are some additional climate highlights from the campaign trail this week:

  • Joe Biden toured a solar farm in Boulder City, Nevada, and said that solar is a passion of his.
  • Cory Booker told Iowans that everything he does as president will be done through the lens of climate change.
  • Pete Buttigieg called climate change the “global security threat of our time” while campaigning in Iowa.
  • Julián Castro outlined the climate actions he’d prioritize as president, which includes passing a Green New Deal and banning fracking on public lands.
  • Amy Klobuchar told Cosmo that she would bring back gas mileage standards, which would save money and reduce carbon pollution.
  • Bernie Sanders released a new video highlighting endorsements from several leaders of the U.S. Youth Climate Strike movement.
  • Tom Steyer said that part of the way to solve climate change is through “partnership and leadership from the farm community.”
  • Elizabeth Warren released a plan for a Blue New Deal to “to protect and restore our oceans so they are a part of our climate solution.”
  • Andrew Yang released a new TV ad in Iowa promoting his climate plan and highlighting his support for a constitutional climate amendment.

Finally, climate activist Greta Thunberg was named Time’s 2019 Person of the Year, and several candidates took to Twitter to praise her activism, including Julián Castro, Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Tom Steyer, and Amy Klobuchar.