Climate forced its way onto GOP debate stage

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Aug 24, 2023 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by Chevron Republican presidential candidates are seen in Milwaukee before the first GOP primary debate of the 2024 election cycle. | Francis Chung/POLITICO The first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign made one thing apparent: The consequences of global warming have become just too big to ignore. The subject of climate change emerged within the first 20 minutes of Wednesday night’s Republican showdown — marking a notable departure from past presidential cycles. During the 2020 campaign’s first Democratic debate, NBC News moderators took well over an hour to raise the issue. In their three 2016 faceoffs, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump spent just five minutes on the crisis. And in 2012, the debates between then-President Barack Obama and GOP contender Mitt Romney basically ignored the topic entirely. But Fox News moderators Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier jumped right in Wednesday by detailing this summer’s climate-fueled calamities — including the deadly fires in Maui, the tropical storm flooding California, rising ocean temperatures off the coast of Florida and the record heat waves gripping much of the nation. The prerecorded question posed to the eight candidates came from Alexander Diaz of the conservative Young America's Foundation, who asked how each would assure young GOP voters they care about climate change. (Polls show that young conservatives worry much more about the issue than their older counterparts.) The presidential hopefuls offered an array of colorful takes on the global emergency, highlighting where the party is united and where it is deeply divided. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis avoided addressing human-caused warming by redirecting the conversation to “the corporate media” and President Joe Biden’s handling of Maui. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley acknowledged that climate change is “real” but said that “we need to start telling China and India that they have to lower their emissions.” (Fact check: The United States is the second-largest greenhouse gas producer after China, with India coming in third.) And fast-talking entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — who was declared the night’s winner by debate no-show Trump — not only alleged that “the climate change agenda is a hoax” but also that “more people are dying of bad climate change policies than they are of actual climate change. “ Candidates were far more united in tearing into Biden’s efforts to spur clean energy development, arguing they only serve to boost China’s economy. And each has called for a massive increase in domestic oil and gas production. Will that assure young Republican voters that their elected leaders care about climate change? That’s a question perhaps only the 2024 election can help settle. Read more coverage of last night’s debate.   It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. And folks, let's keep it classy.   A message from Chevron: Energy demand is projected to reach a record high in 2023 and will continue to rise in the future. Chevron is responding to the growing need by increasing our U.S. oil and gas production in ways that are affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner.   Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Ben Lefebvre breaks down why gasoline prices are continuing to rise despite record U.S. oil production.   A message from Chevron:   Power Centers Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley during the first Republican presidential primary debate. | Morry Gash/AP Photo Other debate takeaways Robin Bravender and Timothy Cama dig into six major takeaways from Wednesday's Republican debate, including candidates' take on new energy technology. Among other priorities, presidential hopefuls made it resoundingly clear that if they win the White House they plan to declare “war” on the administrative state, fight “deep state bureaucrats” and slash the size of the government workforce. Gas ban wars: 4 issues to watch The nation’s long-simmering fight over natural gas bans is finding new battlefronts as the tug-of-war between liberals and conservatives at the local level begins to play itself out in Congress. A slate of policy and legal decisions in the coming months could shape the future of gas in buildings for years to come. David Iaconangelo breaks down four issues to watch as the debates unfold at all levels of government. Moldova's entanglement Moldova wants to introduce its own carbon tax to keep pace with the European Union's climate legislation, writes Federica Di Sario. But the effort is creating tensions with the country's Russian-backed breakaway region of Transnistria, home to most of Moldova's heavy-polluting industry. In Other News Follow the money: G-20 countries poured a record amount of money into fossil fuel development last year despite COP26 pledges to reduce spending. The kids are not all right: Experts are worried there are not enough mental health resources to help the increasing number of young people dealing with climate anxiety.   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Tesla cars stand at a Tesla Supercharger charging station on Aug. 12, 2020, in Skei, Norway. Norway has the highest percentage of electric cars per capita in the world. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images Eighty percent of all new cars in Norway are electric, but a growing demand for larger vehicles is buoying gasoline sales in the Scandinavian nation. The Republican presidential candidates at Wednesday night's debate bashed Biden on climate change and energy — but those claims mostly missed the mark. The Biden administration has removed about 6 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico from potential oil and gas development to protect an endangered whale. The nation's nuclear regulator needs to make several structural changes in order to handle an anticipated influx of work related to licensing small advanced nuclear reactors. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.       A message from Chevron: Oil and gas remain critical components of the global energy system. As energy demand continues to increase, this country has the resources to meet that demand while strengthening its security and economy. In 2022, we increased oil and gas production in the Permian Basin by 16%, and we’re working to grow our supply even further to keep up with rising demand. And we’re also working to do it responsibly, like in the Gulf of Mexico, where our operations are some of the world’s lowest carbon intensity producing assets. Working to provide energy that’s affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner, that’s energy in progress.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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