‘Trump is in an alternate universe’: Environmentalists react to president’s climate change remarks at debate

It has been around 20 years since a lengthy discussion on climate change featured in a presidential debate during which time a monumental shift has happened in how America views the crisis. 

Two-thirds of Americans think that the US government should do more on climate change and moderator Kristen Welker asked both Donald Trump and Joe Biden how they would step up on the issue during the final presidential debate on Thursday, with millions of Americans already taking to the polls ahead of election day on 3 November. 

Calling it an “existential crisis”, Mr Biden sounded the alarm for the world to address global warming, as Mr Trump took credit for pulling the US out of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, the international agreement aimed at doing precisely that.

Mr Trump said his focus was saving American jobs, while taking credit for some of the “cleanest air and water the nation has seen in generations" — partly down to regulations passed in the Obama era. 

The president then pivoted to an attack on clean energy, taking particular issue with windmills, falsely stating they “kill all the birds” and saying "the fumes coming up, if you’re a believer in carbon emission … for these massive windmills is more than anything we’re talking about with natural gas which is very clean”.

Mr Biden spoke of a transition from the oil industry to renewable, clean energy which Mr Trump immediately jumped upon, asking voters in Texas and Pennsylvania if they were listening.

The former vice president also made the case for his plan that tackling climate change will create good-paying jobs - an issue of particular importance to his base. He called for massive investment to create new environmentally-friendly industries. 

“Our health and our jobs are at stake,” he said, noting that not only environmentalists but labor unions have backed his $2 trillion climate plan. 

The Independent asked some of the country’s leading climate scientists, policy experts and environmentalists for their takeaways from the climate change portion of the debate.

Michael Mann,  Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State and member of the  US National Academy of Sciences: "Tonight's debate highlighted the starkest contrast imaginable between the two candidates when it comes to the defining challenge of our time.

“On the one hand you have Donald Trump who denies the climate threat and has sought to sabotage both domestic and international efforts to act, and on the other hand you have Joe Biden who has put forward a bold climate plan, recognising the win-win scenario of a clean energy economy that promises jobs and a hospitable plant for us and future generations.”

Jamie Henn, director of Fossil Free Media and co-founder of grassroots movement, 350.org:  "The fact that environmental justice came up in tonight's debate is a testament to how far this movement has come over the last year. 

“Climate is no longer just an environmental issue, it's about justice, jobs, and our public health. Biden clearly understands this. He spoke passionately about the impacts of pollution and how a clean energy economy could create opportunities for all. Trump, meanwhile, is still stuck in an alternate universe, spouting off nonsense about climate change being a hoax and acting as if fracking is somehow going to save our economy.”

Drew McConville, Senior Managing Director of Government Relations for The Wilderness Society Action Fund: “Despite President Trump’s claims of environmental heroism, nobody’s buying it.  It’s no secret that his Administration and fossil fuel industry engineered a full retreat on climate action, the gutting of health and environmental standards, and the auctioning of America’s most valuable public lands. In contrast, Vice President Biden has fought for clean energy and environmental protections, and he has committed to bold, science-based action for tackling the climate and nature crises as President.”

 Andrés Jimenez, Executive Director of Green 2.0, an advocacy group to increase racial diversity among environmental organisations: "Americans deserved a more substantive debate than what they saw tonight. The frontline communities who bear the brunt of our country's inaction on climate change – overwhelmingly Black, brown and indigenous – deserve a much more robust conversation about the consequences of our federal government's lack of a comprehensive plan to address the climate crisis. It also calls for a fact-based discussion about how each candidate's plan will affect job growth in the energy sector and in those frontline communities."

Gernot Wagner, climate economist at NYU and a founding executive director of Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program: "Joe Biden came out swinging, and he hit a home-run, emphasising how his ambitious climate plan has the support of both the environmental and labor communities, addressing justice concerns, and leading to higher economic growth. Win-win-win-win.

"The more fundamental bit, of course, is that Joe Biden has a climate plan, while Donald Trump does not, other than to dismantle existing environmental protections. In fact, climate is part of several of Biden's plans, on justice, foreign policy, and economic policy more broadly."

Greenpeace USA Climate Campaigner Ashley Thomson: “The differences between Joe Biden and Donald Trump are wider on climate than perhaps any other issue. Trump has fuelled the climate crisis at every turn, selling out working people and families in order to let corporate polluters wreak havoc. 

"It was painfully clear on the debate stage that Trump does not have a plan. His attacks on the Green New Deal and the integrity of the election only reinforce one thing — he knows he’s losing. Climate denial is not a victimless crime, and voters are ready to hold the perpetrators accountable at the ballot box in this election."

350 Action North America Director Tamara Toles O’Laughlin: “It’s undeniable that climate is a top issue for voters. At tonight’s final debate, Joe Biden demonstrated the capacity for leadership our country needs and deserves, including tackling the climate crisis at scale. He doubled down on stopping fossil fuel subsidies, re-joining the Paris agreement, and creating millions of good, green jobs. We are committed to holding a Biden administration accountable to stop fracking and protect our communities. 

"Black, Indigenous, and communities of colour continue to bear the brunt of Donald Trump and his fossil fuel lies. It’s time for a just transition for workers across the industry. The planet can’t take four more years of Trump’s deadly mismanagement and plain incompetence."