This could have been the year of the first real climate change election. It probably won’t be.
After years of climate change being low on voters’ priorities, getting almost no news coverage as a campaign policy issue, and only getting the occasional debate question, 2020 had the potential to be a blockbuster year for climate change.
But instead, with less than 50 days until Election Day and voters in some states already voting, the COVID-19 pandemic is dominating the scene, along with racial justice, the economy, and health care.
And since Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death Friday, the fight over replacing her on the court has overshadowed every other issue and might remain front and center through the rest of the campaign. […]
Despite pushing for debate questions and lamenting the lack of attention to climate, many environmental advocates say they are trying to keep perspective.
They recognize that the more immediate issues of the day, like racial justice and COVID-19, probably deserve the spotlight. Besides, climate change has strong connections with those issues (sic).
“COVID-19, the economic meltdown, the public health crisis, Black Lives Matter are all top-tier issues. That’s a reality,” said Kevin Curtis, executive director of the NRDC Action Fund, which is the political arm of the Natural Resources Defense Council and supports Biden.
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