Sanders brings climate discussion to South Carolina coast

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is holding a conversation on climate change in a coastal community in South Carolina, a critical early-voting state.

The Vermont senator is holding a town hall meeting Thursday night in Myrtle Beach, a center of South Carolina's $20 billion tourism industry.

How climate changes affect coastal communities is a major concern along the state's 190 miles of Atlantic coastline. In the historic city of Charleston, even a moderate amount of rainfall has become enough to flood streets and make parts of the urban peninsula impassable.

Last week, Sanders released a $16.3 trillion climate change plan , which calls for the United States to move to renewable energy across the economy by 2050 and declare climate change a national emergency.