Climate change was an unexpected topic introduced by Chris Wallace at the first presidential debate of the 2020 election season. Donald Trump was unable to give a clear answer about his stance on the topic, while Joe Biden expressed his belief in the science of the subject.
Joe Biden has announced his agenda for potential presidency in sets of plans called the Biden Plan(s). This includes his plan for taking action in terms of climate change. “The Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice” contains five total steps to address the climate emergency in America and the world. These steps are as follows:
Ensure the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050.
Build a stronger, more resilient nation.
Rally the rest of the world to meet the threat of climate change.
Stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities.
Fulfill our obligation to workers and communities who powered our industrial revolution and subsequent decades of economic growth.
Each of these steps that can be found on joebiden.com contain a paragraph or so of more detailed information.
Wallace's question about climate change forced the candidates to think on their feet. After pressure about the Green New Deal from Trump, Biden says: “No, I don’t support the Green New Deal.” This was not a surprise to voters who had researched his platform beforehand, but came as a disappointment to the left who have been pushing for the deal. Biden goes on to claim that although he doesn’t directly support the Green New Deal, he supports his own deal mentioned above called the Biden Plan. This back and forth came right at the end of the climate change segment and Biden was unable to go into detail about his plan.
Donald Trump’s official agenda for combating climate change is non-existent. The Trump campaign announced its agenda on August 23, 2020 and it contained no mentioned of climate change, the environment, or global warming. The White House website does contain a section titled “Energy & Environment”; however this does not equate to an agenda and only goes into what Trump has done while in office. There is currently no 2020 agenda on combating climate change from the Trump campaign. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, while in office Trump rescinded the Clean Power Plan, an Obama era plan that would have required states to move away from coal-based power plants. He has also attempted to cut the EPA’s funding in several budget plans that were introduced while in office.
The question about climate change during the debate stemmed from discussing the forest fires that were raging in California at the time. Trump’s response: “You’ve got to have forest management.” Trump claims that the lack of forest management caused the fires in California, and if the forests were managed correctly, there would not be any fires. He says: “If you had forest management, good forest management, you wouldn’t be getting those calls,” referencing the calls he receives about the fires in California. Trump currently has no public plan that will tend to forest management, even though 57% of the forest land in California is owned by the federal government.
According to factcheck.org, Trump’s claim that the forest fires in California were caused solely by poor forest management are false. Climate scientists have agreed that rising temperatures fuel larger and faster moving fires. There is also agreement about the benefits of forest management, as managing the growth could not negatively impact the safety of California forests. However, as seen in the debate, Trump is reluctant to admit that climate change plays a part in the occurrence of these forest fires.
Biden claims during the climate change discussion that “more carbon is absorbed in [the Brazil] rainforest than every bit of carbon that’s emitted in the United States.” According to clickondetroit.com this is not true. The Amazon rainforest absorbs an estimated two billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, while there is about five billion metric tons of energy-related carbon dioxide produced by the U.S. each year. clickondetroit.com is a local Michigan news organization that utilizes the Graham Media Group’s Trust Index to fact check statements.
Amanda Delgado, a young potential voter for the upcoming election, shares her take on the debate: “For the first presidential debate of 2020, there were a lot of interruptions between both candidates. I left the debate feeling just as confused about both parties as I was when it started. I hope the next two debates help to clarify Trump and Biden’s positions on issues.” Amanda is a student at the University of North Florida and is currently unemployed.
Michelle Fitzgerald is an experienced voter who tuned into the debate expecting to learn a little bit more about each candidates position. She says: “I went into the debate with a candidate already in mind for the November vote, and watching the debate only reinforced the candidate I will vote for. It was extremely difficult to watch with the candidates always talking over each other and the moderator was not even able to get them to be nice.” Michelle is a Chiropractic Assistant and is in her late 40s.
Written by Samantha Fitzgerald
Photos taken by Samantha Fitzgerald October 1, 2020