As the Earth sizzled through a summer with four of the hottest days ever measured, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have starkly different visions on how to address a changing climate while ensuring a reliable energy supply. But neither has provided many details on how they would get there.
During her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Harris briefly mentioned climate change as she outlined fundamental freedoms at stake in the election, including the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis.
As vice president, Harris cast the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden's landmark climate law that was approved with only Democratic support. As a senator from California, she was an early sponsor of the Green New Deal, a sweeping series of proposals meant to swiftly move the U.S. to fully green energy that is championed by the Democratic .