Harris and Walz are climate candidates - so why aren’t they talking about it?

The climate crisis did not take center stage in the candidates’ speeches this week

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and vice presidential nominee Governor Tim Walz celebrate after Harris delivered her speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention. The speeches both had a similar theme: freedom. (EPA/WILL OLIVER)

On Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president. Running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, formally accepted his nomination the previous evening.

In her 40-minute speech, which touched on her middle-class upbringing, abortion rights and protecting freedoms, Harris mentioned the climate crisis in just one sentence.

“In this election, many other fundamental freedoms are at stake. The freedom to live safe from gun violence in our schools, communities and places of worship. The freedom to love who you love openly and with pride,” she said. “The freedom to breathe clean air, and drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis.”

Walz who, like Harris, has been lauded for his climate action in office, did not mention the issue directly. However, he laid out the potential negative environmental consequences under Republican leadership.

“When Republicans use the word freedom, they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office. Corporations — free to pollute your air and water. And banks — free to take advantage of customers,” Walz said on Wednesday.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and vice presidential nominee Governor Tim Walz celebrate after Harris delivered her speech on Thursday night. The speeches both had a similar theme: freedom. (EPA/WILL OLIVER)

While the White House running mates may have steered clear of specifics on the climate crisis, other speakers at the DNC hit the topic hard.

Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, the first Gen Z member of Congress, stressed that the climate crisis “isn’t some far off threat.”

“It is here,” he said. “Donald Trump and J.D. Vance think they can divide us by saying this crisis is some type of hoax. But, I’ve walked the streets of communities that have been forced to rebuild after hurricane flooding destroyed their homes. I’ve heard the stories of immigrant farm workers made to work in horrid conditions exacerbated by this crisis. And, I’ve felt the scorching record heat.”

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland also lobbed shots at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his framing of the climate crisis as “a hoax.”

“An American president must lead the world in tackling climate change. We need a president who understands that assignment. That’s Kamala Harris,” she said. “And, as vice president, she cast the tie-breaking vote for the most ambitious climate action plan in our nation’s history.”

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Thursday. Haaland’s speech spoke directly to the climate crisis ((AP Photo/Paul Sancya))

The Biden-Harris administration has taken unprecedented action to tackle the climate crisis. This week marked the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest climate investment in history, with a goal of cutting U.S. emissions 40 percent by 2030.

Gov. Walz has also taken action at the state level in Minnesota. In 2019, he signed a bill that would require utilities to provide fully carbon-free energy by 2040 and pushed through nearly 40 other climate initiatives, according to The New York Times. Most recently, he announced $200m in funding toward “climate-smart” food systems in the Gopher State.

Both Harris and Walz haven’t been perfect climate warriors. Walz approved an oil pipeline, Line 3, and the Biden-Harris administration has not stopped oil drilling on public lands, despite promising they would during the 2020 election cycle.

But when compared to the record of their rival Trump - who rolled back more than 100 climate and environmental policies during his time in office and has promised to “drill, baby, drill” if he gets a second term- they have a lot going for them.

The climate crisis is a critical issue for Democrats. A June 2024 poll, from the University of Chicago and AP–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found more Americans believe in climate change and the need to respond to its threats. This year, they said that 54 percent of respondents agreed humans were the primary driver of climate change and 53 percent of those who had experienced extreme climate impacts said it is important for the next president to reduce emissions.

Harris and Walz’s silence on the issue hasn’t gone unnoticed, with multiple media outlets reporting that the issue appears to have been sidelined on the campaign trail.

Former president Donald Trump speaks at the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday. Trump has called climate change a ‘hoax’ and deemed related policies the ‘Green New Scam.’ ((Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images))

The question is why isn’t the topic, which President Joe Biden has called an existential crisis, being brought to the foreground?

Some political analysts fear that putting climate front and center in speeches could alienate voters in critical battlegrounds, particularly those where a significant number of jobs still rely on the fossil-fuel industry.

The most clear example of this is Pennsylvania where approximately 26,000 people work in its oil and natural gas industries, according to the Pittsburgh CityPaper.

And while Harris said in 2019 that she supported a ban on fracking, a spokesperson for the vice president told The New York Times that she no longer does so.

It’s possible that the Harris-Walz campaign already believes that it has clinched the support of those, generally young, voters who would cast their ballots on climate issues.

A new poll from the Environmental Voter Project found younger voters are now more energized for Harris and Walz than they were for President Biden. But, that could be risky - a Data for Progress survey published this month shows respondents say climate is more important than ever to their vote this year.

The Independent will be revealing its Climate100 List in September and hosting an event in New York, which can be attended online.