Hill Heat: Following the Lead of Other Candidates, Biden Becomes 15th to Call for Climate DebateScience Policy Legislation Actiontag:hillheat.com,2005:TypoTypo2019-06-11T22:35:53-04:00Brad Johnsonurn:uuid:1104707b-e33d-43d4-9be1-d5dcdd16c52e2019-06-11T17:50:00-04:002019-06-11T22:35:53-04:00Following the Lead of Other Candidates, Biden Becomes 15th to Call for Climate Debate<p><img src='/files/climate-debate-candidates_15.jpg' style='float:right;margin-left:10px;width:40%' /> Today, Joe Biden <a href='https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/breaking-biden-endorses-climate-debate-fossil-fuel-phaseout-at-iowa-campaign-stop/'>became</a> the 15th <a href='http://www.hillheat.com/articles/2019/06/10/spurred-by-youth-climate-activists-over-a-dozen-democratic-candidates-call-for-climate-debate-nixed-by-dnc'>Democratic candidate for president to call for a climate debate</a>, making a mockery of Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez’s <a href='https://medium.com/@TomPerezforDNC/on-debates-3f6956696e7e'>claim</a> such a debate would be “at the request of one candidate.”</p>
<p>Perez was evidently singling out Jay Inslee, who has made climate action a centerpiece of his campaign.</p>
<p>In fact, the demand for a presidential debate focused on climate began with the youth climate activist groups U.S. Youth Climate Strike and Sunrise Movement. Inslee was the first candidate to support their campaign, though over a dozen fellow candidates soon followed suit.</p>
<p>Biden joined the calls for a climate debate in a conversation with a climate activist following a rally today in Ottumwa, Iowa, Greenpeace reports.</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3NHTqLeerBU?start=25" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Biden is the ninth of the 13 candidates who have fully qualified for the <span class="caps">DNC</span> debates to endorse a climate debate.</p>
<p>In a <a href='https://medium.com/@TomPerezforDNC/on-debates-3f6956696e7e'>Medium post</a>, Perez—handpicked as chair by Barack Obama to thwart the candidacy of Keith Ellison—pushed back on the growing calls for a climate debate.</p>
<p>“If we change our guidelines at the request of one candidate who has made climate change their campaign’s signature issue, how do we say no to the numerous other requests we’ve had?”</p>
<p>Perez has not indicated specifically what other existential issue a majority of the Democratic candidates for president, spurred by activists, have requested to debate.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Jay Inslee</strong> April 17 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1118563219663138817'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li>Kirsten Gillibrand April 17 [<a href='https://www.thedailybeast.com/jay-inslee-calls-for-a-climate-change-only-democratic-primary-debate/'>Daily Beast</a>]</li>
<li>Mike Gravel April 19 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1119356858068811776'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Julián Castro</strong> April 22 [<a href='https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1120370202015862786'>Julian Castro, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li>Tim Ryan April 22 [<a href='https://twitter.com/TimRyan/status/1120433374739431424'>Tim Ryan, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Andrew Yang</strong> May 6 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1125563364002926592'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Beto O’Rourke</strong> May 6 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1125500350163767296'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Bernie Sanders</strong> May 6 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1125530147694706693'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>] (<a href='https://twitter.com/berniesanders/status/1125775470526595072'>promoted</a> by Sanders on May 7)</li>
<li><strong>Elizabeth Warren</strong> May 20 [<a href='https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1130478334276718592'>Elizabeth Warren, Twitter</a>] </li>
<li><strong>Amy Klobuchar</strong> May 23 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1131758981892980736'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li>Michael Bennet May 29 [<a href='https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/29/climate-change-democrats-2020-1465563'>Politico</a>]</li>
<li>John Delaney June 4 [<a href='https://www.johndelaney.com/2019/06/04/delaney-i-am-fully-on-board-with-a-climate-debate/'>John Delaney</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Tulsi Gabbard</strong> June 6 [<a href='https://twitter.com/CullenYossarian/status/1136795645799350272'>Gabbard press assistant Cullen Tiernan, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li>Seth Moulton June 7 [<a href='https://twitter.com/sethmoulton/status/1137052856236875777'>Seth Moulton, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Joe Biden</strong> June 11 [<a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NHTqLeerBU'>Greenpeace, YouTube</a>]</li>
</ul>
<p>Transcript of Biden exchange:</p><p><img src='/files/climate-debate-candidates_15.jpg' style='float:right;margin-left:10px;width:40%' /> Today, Joe Biden <a href='https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/breaking-biden-endorses-climate-debate-fossil-fuel-phaseout-at-iowa-campaign-stop/'>became</a> the 15th <a href='http://www.hillheat.com/articles/2019/06/10/spurred-by-youth-climate-activists-over-a-dozen-democratic-candidates-call-for-climate-debate-nixed-by-dnc'>Democratic candidate for president to call for a climate debate</a>, making a mockery of Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez’s <a href='https://medium.com/@TomPerezforDNC/on-debates-3f6956696e7e'>claim</a> such a debate would be “at the request of one candidate.”</p>
<p>Perez was evidently singling out Jay Inslee, who has made climate action a centerpiece of his campaign.</p>
<p>In fact, the demand for a presidential debate focused on climate began with the youth climate activist groups U.S. Youth Climate Strike and Sunrise Movement. Inslee was the first candidate to support their campaign, though over a dozen fellow candidates soon followed suit.</p>
<p>Biden joined the calls for a climate debate in a conversation with a climate activist following a rally today in Ottumwa, Iowa, Greenpeace reports.</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3NHTqLeerBU?start=25" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Biden is the ninth of the 13 candidates who have fully qualified for the <span class="caps">DNC</span> debates to endorse a climate debate.</p>
<p>In a <a href='https://medium.com/@TomPerezforDNC/on-debates-3f6956696e7e'>Medium post</a>, Perez—handpicked as chair by Barack Obama to thwart the candidacy of Keith Ellison—pushed back on the growing calls for a climate debate.</p>
<p>“If we change our guidelines at the request of one candidate who has made climate change their campaign’s signature issue, how do we say no to the numerous other requests we’ve had?”</p>
<p>Perez has not indicated specifically what other existential issue a majority of the Democratic candidates for president, spurred by activists, have requested to debate.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Jay Inslee</strong> April 17 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1118563219663138817'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li>Kirsten Gillibrand April 17 [<a href='https://www.thedailybeast.com/jay-inslee-calls-for-a-climate-change-only-democratic-primary-debate/'>Daily Beast</a>]</li>
<li>Mike Gravel April 19 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1119356858068811776'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Julián Castro</strong> April 22 [<a href='https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1120370202015862786'>Julian Castro, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li>Tim Ryan April 22 [<a href='https://twitter.com/TimRyan/status/1120433374739431424'>Tim Ryan, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Andrew Yang</strong> May 6 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1125563364002926592'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Beto O’Rourke</strong> May 6 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1125500350163767296'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Bernie Sanders</strong> May 6 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1125530147694706693'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>] (<a href='https://twitter.com/berniesanders/status/1125775470526595072'>promoted</a> by Sanders on May 7)</li>
<li><strong>Elizabeth Warren</strong> May 20 [<a href='https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1130478334276718592'>Elizabeth Warren, Twitter</a>] </li>
<li><strong>Amy Klobuchar</strong> May 23 [<a href='https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1131758981892980736'>U.S. Youth Climate Strike, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li>Michael Bennet May 29 [<a href='https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/29/climate-change-democrats-2020-1465563'>Politico</a>]</li>
<li>John Delaney June 4 [<a href='https://www.johndelaney.com/2019/06/04/delaney-i-am-fully-on-board-with-a-climate-debate/'>John Delaney</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Tulsi Gabbard</strong> June 6 [<a href='https://twitter.com/CullenYossarian/status/1136795645799350272'>Gabbard press assistant Cullen Tiernan, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li>Seth Moulton June 7 [<a href='https://twitter.com/sethmoulton/status/1137052856236875777'>Seth Moulton, Twitter</a>]</li>
<li><strong>Joe Biden</strong> June 11 [<a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NHTqLeerBU'>Greenpeace, YouTube</a>]</li>
</ul>
<p>Transcript of Biden exchange:</p>
<blockquote>Q: “Should we have a climate change debate?”
<p><span class="caps">BIDEN</span>: “Yeah we should have a climate change debate. We should. That’s what we should be doing.”</p>
<p>Q: “One debate?”</p>
<p><span class="caps">BIDEN</span>: “Yeah.”</p>
<p>Q: “Dedicated to climate change?”</p>
<p><span class="caps">BIDEN</span>: “Yeah, I’m all in. I’m all in, man. Take a look at what I’m talking about. By the way, first climate change plan ever introduced in the United States Congress: Biden.”</p>
<p>Q: “You’re the man. All right.”</blockquote></p>