Sanders and Yang Address Funding and Economy at the CNN Climate Town Hall
Many of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ talking points at CNN’s “Climate Crisis Town Hall” on Sept. 4, 2019 were centered around the funding for his $16 trillion plan he has pledged to enact upon entering office. Sen. Sanders stated that over a 15 year period, he intends to cut all federal subsidies made out to fossil fuel companies, and cut back on military spending in countries around the world currently under United States protection due to oil incentives. His plan also includes tax increases for members of fossil fuel companies, in addition to his increased tax rates for people with higher income.
A concern of one audience member was how Sanders planned to make such a massive economical transition without the use of nuclear energy, which the Senator has repeatedly stated his plan does not support going forward. Sanders replied, “I think the scientists tell us in fact that we can. And I think if you talk to the people in Japan, in terms of what happened at Fukushima, talk to the people in Russia what happened in Chernobyl, they might not feel so comfortable with nuclear power.” He was also quick to point out that he believes that the most “cost-effective” and “safest” way forward is through a movement toward sustainable energies like wind and geothermal.
Andrew Yang’s policy aligned with Sanders’ on the topic of eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, saying that “there’s the people on one side, and the money on the other.” He proposed a system of “Democracy Dollars” to grant citizens an opportunity to help finance politicians they support in an effort to reduce incentives for taking lobbyists’ money. Differing from Sen. Sanders, however, Yang stated during the town hall that his administration would continue to use nuclear energy during a nationwide conversion into sustainable technologies, saying “To me, nuclear energy needs to be on the table in a transition to a more of a renewable economy.” This stance landed Yang at the bottom of GreenPeace’s Climate Scoring list, which gave Yang a “C+” and Sanders “A”.
Yang included in his discussion with Wolf Blitzer Wednesday night that he would ban all off-shore oil drilling, immediately rejoin the Paris Agreement and support the growth of the electronic car industry. In the midst of Hurricane Dorian’s movement toward the Carolinas, Yang was also asked how he would respond to rising sea levels, and the inevitable displacement of citizens living in coastal areas. According to Yang, he would “invest in making some of these communities more resilient,” and for those that required evacuation, he would work to build more institutional trust through his “Freedom Dividend”, which grants every American citizen over the age of 18 a total of $1000 per month.
This piece was produced as a part of Emerson College’s Environmental Journalism course in Fall 2019.
