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Climate change was a topic at the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.(Photo: Kamala Harris, Wikimedia Commons)
During the first presidential debate of the 2024 U.S. election, Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump faced off against Democratic candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris. The two candidates did not address the highly anticipated climate change issue extensively, and neither provided direct answers to the questions posed. Trump, in particular, was criticized for seemingly ignoring the question and providing off-topic responses.
Trump emphasizes protecting U.S. businesses while Harris focuses on clean energy
The debate, which lasted approximately 100 minutes, addressed climate change only in its final question. Linsey Davis, a lead anchor at ABC, asked the candidates how they would tackle climate change.
Harris stated that climate change has become a threat to the survival of the American people, particularly noting that extreme weather has led to increased homelessness and higher household insurance costs. She then highlighted that the Biden administration has invested $1 trillion in clean energy over the past four years, created 800,000 manufacturing jobs, and increased natural gas production to historic highs to promote a clean energy economy.
She also mentioned her endorsement from the United Automobile Workers (UAW), emphasizing the Biden administration’s “American-made” policy, which supports both clean energy and the auto industry. She criticized Trump for causing many auto factories to close during his presidency.
Trump, on the other hand, pointed out that U.S. manufacturing job vacancies decreased by 10,000 in August, with many car factories relocating to Mexico and facing competition from China. He criticized the Biden administration for being too lenient with China, promising to impose tariffs to protect American auto workers from foreign competition.
Trump also took the opportunity to accuse the Biden administration of corruption and fear of China, alleging that Biden prioritized his own business interests in China and Ukraine over American citizens. He concluded by harshly condemning the Biden administration, claiming it would lead to America’s downfall.
Stark differences and limited focus on energy and climate
In addition, Harris, who faced criticism for her changing stance on banning hydraulic fracturing (fracking), clarified that she stopped supporting the ban in 2020. She noted that under Biden’s presidency, U.S. oil production has increased significantly and stressed the importance of investing in diverse energy sources to reduce reliance on imported oil.
Trump seized the opportunity to claim that if Harris were elected, she would destroy the U.S. the next day, ending Pennsylvania’s fracking industry and causing the oil and fossil fuel industries to collapse. He further stated that while he supports solar energy, the extensive land use required for solar panels is not environmentally friendly.
The Associated Press commented in real-time that the discussion on climate issues was quite limited. Politico’s “Environment and Energy” analysis noted that Harris did not focus on energy issues during the debate, such as whether to accelerate the transition to 100% clean energy, phase out drilling on public lands, or reduce tax incentives for oil and gas companies—topics of significant public interest that were not addressed in the debate.
