Kamala Harris at climate summit: World must ‘fight’ those stalling action
The vast, global efforts to arrest rising temperatures are imperiled and must accelerate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told the world climate summit on Saturday.
“We must do more,” she implored an audience of world leaders at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai. And the headwinds are only growing, she warned.
“Continued progress will not be possible without a fight,” she told the gathering, which has drawn more than 100,000 people to this Gulf oil metropolis. “Around the world, there are those who seek to slow or stop our progress. Leaders who deny climate science, delay climate action and spread misinformation. Corporations that greenwash their climate inaction and lobby for billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies.”
[She] challenged leaders to cooperate and spend more to keep the goal of containing global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. So far, the planet has warmed about 1.3 degrees since preindustrial times.
“Our action collectively — or worse, our inaction — will impact billions of people for decades to come,” Harris said.
The vice president, who frequently warns about climate change threats in speeches and interviews, is the highest-ranking face of the Biden White House at the Dubai negotiations.
And as CNN reported: Kamala Harris announced new $3 billion US pledge to global climate action at Dubai summit
Harris said the US would pledge another $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund — the main finance vehicle to help developing nations adapt to the climate crisis and cut fossil fuel pollution. The US has previously delivered $2 billion to the fund.
“The United States has turned ambition into action,” Harris said Saturday, touting billions of of dollars in new investments as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act.
Harris referenced hundreds of new and expanded solar panel, wind turbine, electric vehicle and battery manufacturing plants, and new efforts to safeguard habitats and communities from climate-fueled extreme weather and rising seas.
“Today we are demonstrating through action how the world can and must meet this crisis,” Harris said. “This is a pivotal moment.”
As CNN pointed out, Harris’s embrace of her climate change portfolio doesn’t just focus on how global warming threatens the planet. In discussing the Inflation Reduction Act, Harris has also highlighted how the climate crisis endangers poor and disadvantaged Americans:
Vice President Kamala Harris had some words of advice for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan last year after Congress passed the Biden administration’s sweeping health care, tax, and climate law.
“It’s disadvantaged and low-income communities that are on the front lines of climate impacts,” Regan recounted Harris telling him in her West Wing office as he prepared to distribute billions of dollars as a part of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda.
“This is a moment in time where not only can these resources be used to stop or slow down these climate impacts, but to rebuild our communities through economic development,” Regan said Harris told him.
Though Harris’ advice was specifically talking about how to dole out money for the EPA program now known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund — a $20 billion clean energy loan program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act — aides say it’s that mentality that the vice president has conveyed throughout the administration in behind-the-scenes conversations, joining many other administration-wide officials who have helped decide how the $750 billion from the law is invested.
Looking back, we can see that Kamala Harris has cared about environmental justice her whole career — even as a district attorney in San Francisco.
SFGate: D.A. creates environmental unit
To tackle environmental crime, which disproportionately affects the city's poorest communities, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris plans to announce that her office has a new environmental justice unit.
With two staff attorneys and a dedicated investigator, the unit will address such cases as a community newspaper's alleged dumping of hundreds of gallons of printer's ink, black marketeers' abalone sales, and a bakery that operated while littered with rat and bird droppings.
"Crimes against the environment are crimes against communities, people who are often poor and disenfranchised," said Harris. "The people who live in those communities often have no other choice but to live there."
And she kept it up as Attorney General for the state of California — the world’s eighth-largest economy. For example:
Attorney General Kamala Harris Sues Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips over Environmental Violations at Gas Stations
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today filed a civil lawsuit against Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips for allegedly violating state law by failing to properly inspect and maintain underground tanks used to store gasoline for retail sale at more than 560 gas stations in California.
"The state's hazardous waste laws help protect our residents from contaminated groundwater," Attorney General Harris said. "This lawsuit safeguards public health by ensuring proper maintenance of the tanks that store fuel beneath many California communities."
and then — Attorney General Kamala Harris Announces Indictment of Plains All-American Pipeline on Criminal Charges Resulting from May 2015 Santa Barbara County Oil Spill
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley today announced that Plains All-American Pipeline has been indicted by a grand jury on 46 criminal charges related to the May 2015 oil spill in Santa Barbara County. A Plains All-American Pipeline employee was also indicted on 3 criminal charges.
On May 19, 2015, a pipeline operated by Plains All-American Pipeline ruptured, releasing into the environment approximately 140,000 gallons of heavy crude oil onto land, beaches, and the Pacific Ocean near Refugio State Beach. Federal, state and local governments have spent millions of dollars to clean up the spill, which resulted in substantial damage to natural habitats and wildlife over a large area.
Attorney General Harris partnered with local and state law enforcement agencies to conduct a criminal investigation and jointly prosecute the criminal case with Santa Barbara County District Attorney Dudley.
“Crimes against our environment must be met with swift action and accountability,” said Attorney General Harris. “The carelessness of Plains All-American harmed hundreds of species and marine life off Refugio Beach. This conduct is criminal and today’s charges serve as a powerful reminder of the consequences that flow from jeopardizing the well-being of our ecosystems and public health.”
Kamala Harris was born to immigrant parents.
Kamala’s maternal grandparents fought for Indian independence and women’s rights. She learned early that these were an integral part of her roots.
Both of her parents were involved in the civil rights movement. In fact, they started taking her to civil rights marches when she was a baby.
She was so used to the call and response that happened in those marches that when her mom asked a tiny, fussing Kamala what she wanted, Kamala responded “Fweedom!”
Kamala had been listening.
Kamala was a part of bused integration. She took a bus from her black-and-brown neighborhood to a rich neighborhood. During those long rides, she’d play “Miss Mary Mack” and cat’s cradle with her friends on the bus. That integrated school and rich neighborhood combined to teach Kamala about the importance of multiculturalism.
Kamala’s mom would take her to cultural events that celebrated and taught her about her black and brown roots.
In the 23rd Avenue Church of God she learned the importance of speaking up for those who can’t.
When they were middle school age, Kamala and her sister made picket signs and protested in front of their apartment building because kids weren’t allowed to play soccer outside. Kamala thought it wasn’t fair. And Kamala cared about fairness. The building manager saw their signs and changed the rule.
At Howard University, she spent many weekends on the National Mall in DC protesting against apartheid in South Africa.
Being an activist has always been a part of Kamala Harris’s identity. She was raised on the ideas of freedom and fairness. She brought them to Washington and she’ll bring them to the Oval Office.
When she was attorney general of California, Kamala Harris was a pro at suing fossil fuel companies.
And she won. She obtained $44 million for a disastrous oil spill:
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Joins Federal, State and Local Officials to Announce $44 Million Settlement in 2007 Bay Bridge Crash and Oil Spill
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris joined federal, state, and Bay Area officials to announce a comprehensive civil settlement with the owners and operators of the M/V Cosco Busan, resolving all natural resource damages, penalties, and response costs that resulted from the ship striking the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2007, and the subsequent oil spill in the San Francisco Bay. The event killed thousands of birds, impacted a significant portion of the Bay’s 2008 herring spawn, spoiled miles of shoreline habitat and closed the Bay and area beaches to recreation and fishing.
“This Bay is the jewel of the San Francisco region and the Cosco Busan oil spill left a lasting scar across our water, natural habitats and wildlife,” Attorney General Harris said. “This settlement will allow all of these precious resources to be restored to their original health and beauty.”
Kamala Harris also amassed $50 million in settlements from Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. Moreover, she launched an investigation into Exxon Mobil in 2016 over allegations it had misled the public about the risks of climate change.
Harris’s readiness to take on fossil fuel companies over the harm they do to the environment has shaped her work as a part of the Biden-Harris team. For example, the Biden-Harris administration has paused a decision on a giant terminal in Louisiana for exporting liquified natural gas (LNG). This would be a completely new thing: amazingly, the Energy Department has never before rejected a proposed natural gas project because of its expected environmental impact.
However, this is Harris and Biden we are talking about. So, per PBS:
White House Said to Delay Decision on Enormous Natural Gas Export Terminal
The Biden administration is pausing a decision on whether to approve what would be the largest natural gas export terminal in the United States, a delay that could stretch past the November election and spell trouble for that project and 16 other proposed terminals, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.
The White House is directing the Energy Department to expand its evaluation of the project to consider its impact on climate change, as well as the economy and national security.
And this may end the whole thing, according to the New York Times:
A delay of many months could jeopardize the financing for CP2. Venture Global LNG has other gas export terminals that have already run into equipment and shipping problems and legal disputes.
That’s exactly the hope of climate activists who launched a social media campaign last fall to urge Mr. Biden to reject CP2.
“We see [ending] CP2 as stopping the first fraction of the largest LNG buildout to date,” said Alex Haraus, a 25-year-old Colorado social media influencer who has led a TikTok and Instagram campaign aimed at urging young voters to demand that Mr. Biden reject the project.
Harris and Biden have also worked to advance alternatives to fossil fuels. Take just one example: wind. CNN reported in 2021:
Biden-Harris administration announces plans for massive expansion of wind farms off US coasts
The Biden administration is planning to aggressively expand offshore wind energy capacity in the United States, potentially holding as many as seven new offshore lease sales by 2025.
[Secretary of Energy Deb Haaland] said the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is exploring leasing sales along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, in the Gulf of Maine, the New York Bight, the central Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, as well as off the Carolinas, California and Oregon.
“The Interior Department is laying out an ambitious roadmap as we advance the Administration’s plans to confront climate change, create good-paying jobs, and accelerate the nation’s transition to a cleaner energy future,” Haaland said in a statement.
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Kamala Harris is willing to keep confronting fossil fuel interests and keep supporting the clean energy alternatives that will dig fossil fuels’ grave.
MVP (Madam Vice-President and Most Valuable Player) Kamala Harris has always been dedicated to voting rights.
When she was attorney general for the state of California, she Endorsed Legislation to Expand Voting Rights:
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced her support for Assembly Bill 2466, legislation authored by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), which would ensure state law reflects a recent Superior Court ruling which restored voting rights to individuals serving time under community supervision. The bill would also expand voting rights to those serving a felony sentence in county jail.
“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and society, and yet for too long we have stripped certain individuals of that right,” said Attorney General Harris. “I applaud Assemblymember Weber for her leadership on this issue, because more Californians should be able to fully and meaningfully rebuild their lives, reintegrate into society and participate in our democracy.”
As a US senator, Kamala Harris co-sponsored the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act proposed in 2020. That same year, she also introduced the VoteSafe Act to make it easier for people to vote during the pandemic. Of the second bill, she said:
As our country combats COVID-19, we’re also in the middle of an election year. It is critical that we meet voters where they are and ensure that all forms of voting are safe and accessible. That is why I am proud to partner with House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn and Rep. Marcia Fudge to introduce the VoteSafe Act, which is centered on the experiences of communities that have long struggled with access to the ballot box.
One of the many things Harris did in her time as VP was take the White House lead on voting rights.
For example, she held a event in Washington in March 2022 to invite all kinds of advocates and community leaders to share their thoughts, ideas, and plans about voting access.
During that event she said:
Earlier this month, I was in Selma, like so many of us, to commemorate this year the 57th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and to reaffirm that President Biden and I will continue to fight for the freedom to vote by continuing to push Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which, of course, I was proud to sponsor when I was as United States senator. And we are committed through what we can do to take executive action.
Today, I’m proud to be joined by representatives of the 11 executive agencies that have been working since that order was signed to create ambitious and affirmative ways to use their legal authority to accomplish our shared goals.
Today, they will provide detailed updates on those efforts and will solicit your perspective — your candid perspective is what we want and need — on these important steps moving forward so that we can ensure that they’re not only relevant but that they will hit the streets and have an impact.
A year ago, she launched a high-energy nationwide “Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour” to mobilize students and young people in the fight for their rights, including voting rights.
Here’s part of the announcement from the launch:
As students across the nation return to school, Vice President Kamala Harris will embark on a month-long college tour throughout America to mobilize young people in the ongoing fight for fundamental freedoms and rights. She is set to visit around a dozen campuses in at least seven states as she brings together thousands of students for high-energy, large-scale events. The Vice President’s flurry of “Fight for Our Freedoms” stops will focus on key issues that disproportionately impact young people across the country — from reproductive freedom and gun safety to climate action, voting rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and book bans.
“This generation is critical to the urgent issues that are at stake right now for our future,” said Vice President Harris. “It is young leaders throughout America who know what the solutions look like and are organizing in their communities to make them a reality. My message to students is clear: We are counting on you, we need you, you are everything.”
Vice President Harris’s “Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour” will include visits to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, community colleges, apprenticeship programs, and state schools.
This past February Kamala Harris outlined a strategy to protect voting rights nationwide, as Democracy Docket explained:
Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated the White House’s continued support for voting rights on Tuesday when she hosted a roundtable discussion with leaders and organizers leading the fight on the issue.
In a speech before the closed-press meeting, Harris outlined the White House’s four-part strategy to protect voting rights, describing voting as “a fundamental freedom that unlocks all the other freedoms.”
The strategy includes:
- Instructing federal agencies to do all they can to inform Americans on how to vote and when they are eligible.
- Promoting voter participation for students by allowing students to get paid to register voters and be poll workers through federal work-study.
- Protecting election workers by creating the Elections Threats Taskforce that has held more than 100 events to train officials on protecting election workers.
- Fighting voter suppression laws by challenging discriminatory laws in court via the U.S. Department of Justice.
Harris announced new developments in the strategy: the Health and Human Services Department has begun emailing voter registration information to every individual covered by the Affordable Care Act, and the Social Security Administration will display signs from Vote.gov in all of its offices. The Department of the Interior will also display Vote.gov information at national park entrances and visitors’ centers. [ . . . ]
The vice president closed by announcing “three national days of action” for voting to continue “work that is about uplifting communities, strengthening coalitions, strengthening communities around their power and ability to lead in their own communities.” The days include Juneteenth (June 19), the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (Aug. 6) and National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 17).
Kamala Harris is and will be a strong force for voting rights in the days and years ahead!
As a United States Senator, Kamala championed legislation to raise wages and bring down costs for families — on health care, housing, child care, college, and more. She created a new program that invested billions of dollars to expand access to capital for small businesses and entrepreneurs in underserved communities. She fought for the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water, the freedom to vote, and common sense policies to keep our communities safe. She led the push to invest in our nation’s infrastructure, introducing legislation on clean water, lead pipes, and drought and wildfire resilience — all later passed into law as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
As a part of today’s theme, I am not going to share info on tfg’s awful week. But please know — he had an awful week 😂😉😏
I saw a lot of folks wishing that Walz has been tougher on Vance. Nope. That might have made US feel good, but we are already onboard. He did exactly what he needed to do: increased his likability and provided a viral moment for ads.
