As this week’s debate moderators themselves mentioned, climate change is an issue of significant importance to voters, and we were pleased to see a serious — albeit too short — back and forth between some of the candidates on how they would prioritize the climate crisis as president. 

“When you talk about the climate crisis, the overwhelming majority of the American people know that it is real, they know we have to take on the fossil fuel industry, they know we have to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel”@BernieSanders speaking truths#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/Yv0mpdKUnt

— LCV (@LCVoters) November 21, 2019

“American farming should be one of the key pillars of how we combat climate change. I believe that the quest for the carbon negative farm could be as big a symbol of dealing with climate change as the electric car,” says @PeteButtigieg#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/V0VxxSDEXq

— LCV (@LCVoters) November 21, 2019

Climate policy will have to inform every policy if we’re going to solve this crisis.

“How we build units, where people live has a dramatic impact on climate and on sustainability,” notes @TomSteyer.#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/bOZdybfrtd

— LCV (@LCVoters) November 21, 2019

“Transitioning our country off of fossil fuels and ending the nearly $30 billion in subsidies that we as taxpayers are giving to the fossil fuel industry and instead investing in a green renewable energy economy.”@TulsiGabbard describing part of her climate plans#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/nDCEpZw4r8

— LCV (@LCVoters) November 21, 2019

“[The climate crisis] is a state of emergency, and I would declare a state of emergency on day one. I would use the emergency powers of the presidency.”@TomSteyer on how he would address climate crisis with the urgency it deserves.#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/jFyhRa564u

— LCV (@LCVoters) November 21, 2019

“[Climate change] is the existential threat to humanity. It is the number one issue.”@JoeBiden responds during the climate segment in the #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/8Dv0zSuAmH

— LCV (@LCVoters) November 21, 2019

“Your questioner said, ‘What are we going to do in decades?’ We don’t have decades.”@BernieSanders goes on to describe how he would send a message to fossil fuel industry, that “their short-term profits are not more important than the future of this planet.#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/LQUsCjOc7Y

— LCV (@LCVoters) November 21, 2019

.@ewarren describes her plans for public lands and opening opportunities for service to the country, that people could help rebuild them, “as a way both to express their public service and their commitment to fighting back against climate change.”#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/0lEh341klQ

— LCV (@LCVoters) November 21, 2019

Ahead of the debate in Atlanta, we released new polling with our friends at Georgia Conservation Voters showing that the majority of Georgia voters (53%) believe environmental and climate issues are important and a large majority of Georgia Democrats (61%) support moving to clean energy, such as solar and wind energy, by 2050. African American voters in Georgia support clean energy and climate action by even wider margins — 83% of African American voters said the environment and climate change are important issues, and 69% support setting a new national clean energy standard. Check out the full poll »

In other climate news, the candidates were in Nevada last weekend for the state Democratic Party’s First In The West Event and several of them used the opportunity to highlight climate and environmental issues.

• Joe Biden received a climate question from a Nevada voter via a video chat.
• Pete Buttigieg talked about uniting Americans to fight climate change.
• Julián Castro visited with the Yerington Paiute community, which is dealing with pollution from nearby mining activity. 
• Bernie Sanders called out President Trump for saying climate change is a hoax.
• Tom Steyer reiterated that he’d make climate change his #1 priority as president.

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

• Cory Booker’s birth chart explains why he’s so passionate about climate change, according to Cosmo.
• John Delaney participated in a climate conversation with EDF Action.
• Kamala Harris published an op-ed about how the climate crisis is making wildfires worse.
• Amy Klobuchar released a democracy plan recognizing that climate change-fueled extreme weather disasters can disrupt voting.
• Elizabeth Warren released a housing plan calling for a new Green Public Housing program that will provide climate smart housing.

As always, visit changetheclimate2020.com for additional climate highlights from the Democratic presidential primary.