Harris’ Dilemma on Climate Action

Climate action is important to Kamala Harris. Environmental organizations believe that they will have a strong supporter in her.

“She will fight every day for all Americans to have access to clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment,” former White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy confirmed in a statement. But at the same time, both while campaigning and as the potential first female president of the United States, a certain dexterity is required because there are still thousands of jobs dependent on the success of the American oil and gas industry. It is a situation that President Joe Biden has also faced in the past year.

As vice president, Kamala Harris contributed to the largest climate package in the history of the United States. The Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed by Biden almost two years ago, led to billion-dollar investments and hundreds of thousands of new jobs in sectors such as renewable energy or battery production. Nevertheless, the United States has produced more oil and natural gas in recent years than ever before.

It is a paradox with which some Democrats, especially those from the party’s left wing, cannot quite come to terms. During the U.N. climate summit in Dubai last December, Harris declared that it would take transformational change to move forward against climate change. The time for small steps is over, she said. “Across our world, communities are choked by drought, washed out by floods, and decimated by hurricanes. Wildfire smoke darkens our skies, and rising seas threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. The urgency of this moment is clear,” she said at that time, and warned, “The clock is no longer just ticking, it is banging. And we must make up for lost time.”

Such statements are in no way just empty words for Harris. Her work in environmental protection and climate action reaches back to the start of her career in public service. In 2005, as a district attorney in San Francisco, she founded one of the first units in the country that specifically concentrated on environmental crimes. As attorney general of California she reached settlements worth billions.

She Even Sued the Obama Administration

This includes the settlement with Volkswagen after the Wolfsburg-based company was proven to have manipulated diesel vehicles using emissions-cheating software. In 2016, the German car manufacturer committed to spending a total of $14.7 billion to repair the damage caused in the United States. Additionally, she reached settlements with the oil firms Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips because of environmental violations.

She also did not shy away from suing former President Barack Obama and his administration after they chose to grant permits for the controversial fracking method of oil and gas extraction off the California coast. “We are confident that she is ready to carry forward President Biden’s historic legacy and set a new high bar for climate ambition in America,” Evergreen Managing Director Lena Moffitt said.

Harris Could Be Greener Than Biden

Evergreen is one of several well-known environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and the NRDC Action Fund, for which Harris has proclaimed her support while campaigning. Because she has not shied away from going after oil companies in the past, there are those who claim that Harris may do more for climate action as a potential president than Biden already has. Biden has caused a transformation in the country and drastically improved the economic conditions of green technologies with his climate law. However, to achieve this, he also had to make all sorts of concessions to the oil and gas industry.

This is due to the political reality in the country. The idea that this will not dramatically change with Harris at the helm is an assumption. If Harris, as expected, receives the Democratic Party’s nomination as their new presidential candidate*, then her record on climate and environmental affairs is not only one of her greatest strengths, but also a significant weakness.

A Contrast to Trump

Her campaign opponent, former President Donald Trump, characterizes man-made climate change as a “hoax” and a “fake problem.” At his campaign rallies he and his supporters keep demanding, “Drill, baby, drill,” a reference to the strengthening of fossil fuel extraction in the coming years. It is a position that continues to be extremely popular among Republican voters in particular.

Additionally, there are also economic circumstances. Electric vehicle sales in the United States are still low. Only 8% of all car sales in the past year were of electric cars. Alternatives for kerosene in aviation or for heavy fuel oil are still years off.

As a presidential candidate during the Democratic primaries in 2019, Harris spoke in favor of a carbon tax, a ban on fracking on public lands and an investment of $10 trillion in the fight against global warming. When she eventually joined Biden’s campaign as vice president, she softened her positions. “Campaigning is one thing and governing is another,” Kevin Book, managing director of the consulting firm ClearView Energy Partners, told Semafor.

*Editor’s Note: On Aug. 3, 2024, Kamala Harris formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination.