FULL ISSUE EXPLANATION​

Climate change is an existential threat to our country and our planet, but it is also a corruption problem. For decades, fossil fuel corporations have used their wealth and political influence to delay action, distort science, and rig policy in their favor—while communities pay the price in pollution, disasters, and rising costs. Delaying action only increases the human and economic damage we are already seeing. I fully support the Green New Deal as a comprehensive plan to rapidly transition to clean, renewable energy while strengthening our economy and improving quality of life. This is not about deprivation or culture wars; it is about clean air, clean water, reliable energy, healthier communities, and breaking the grip of polluters on our political system.

We must move quickly to reach net-zero emissions while dramatically expanding renewable power, modernizing and hardening the electric grid, retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency, and investing in clean manufacturing and infrastructure. These investments are long overdue, but they have been blocked for years by industry lobbying and short-term profit incentives. The clean energy transition can and should create millions of good-paying, union jobs, including through a Civilian Climate Corps that puts people to work restoring ecosystems, upgrading infrastructure, and building the energy systems of the future. Climate policy is economic policy, and public investment in people will deliver far greater returns than continued subsidies to fossil fuel corporations.

A serious climate plan must include a just transition for workers and communities currently dependent on fossil fuel, automotive, and other high-emissions industries. Too often, corporations extract profits and then abandon workers when industries change. No worker should be left behind. I support guaranteeing these workers first access to new union jobs in clean energy and infrastructure, with pay, benefits, and retirement security equal to or better than what they had before. A fair transition means holding corporations accountable while protecting workers, not sacrificing livelihoods to protect corporate balance sheets.

We must also hold polluters accountable for the damage they have caused. That means enforcing environmental laws that have been weakened through regulatory capture, ending fossil fuel subsidies that amount to public handouts for private pollution, and ensuring that corporations responsible for environmental harm pay for cleanup and remediation. Protecting public lands, waterways, and biodiversity is essential, as is supporting farmers and food systems in transitioning to climate-smart, sustainable practices that protect both livelihoods and food security. Environmental policy should serve the public interest, not corporate donors.

Climate change is already here, which is why preparedness and resilience matter as much as emissions reduction. I support strengthening FEMA, restoring and expanding NOAA funding, and investing in climate and weather research that has been repeatedly targeted for cuts by politicians aligned with polluting industries. Communities deserve accurate data, early warnings, and resilient infrastructure. That includes major investments in flood control, coastal protection, water systems, wildfire prevention, and grid reliability so families are not left vulnerable when disasters strike.

Finally, climate change is a racial and economic justice issue rooted in long-standing environmental racism. Frontline and marginalized communities have borne the greatest burden of pollution, toxic exposure, and climate-driven disasters while contributing the least to the problem. These harms are not accidental—they are the result of policy decisions shaped by power and profit. A just climate response must be led by and centered on these communities, ending environmental racism and guaranteeing clean air, clean water, safe housing, and real economic opportunity for all. Addressing climate change is not only about protecting the planet—it is about restoring integrity to our government and ensuring it works for people, not polluters.