Climate Justice Candidate Analysis

Climate Justice Candidate Analysis

 

This Winter quarter (2020) participants in ENVS 499D: Readings in Environmental Justice read and discussed Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. As a culminating project, we developed an analysis of the current presidential candidates in the context of climate justice. In looking at the candidates, we aimed to complement the 2020 Presidential Candidates Climate Plan Analysis/Voter Tool, a resource developed by graduate students at Antioch University. Using Klein’s book as a jumping-off point, we looked at the candidates’ records and platforms in the following areas: immigration policies, Green New Deal, workers’ rights and unions, proposed tax changes, proposed political process changes, candidate funding, indigenous rights, and trade policy. Although these are topics that mainstream political analysis and environmental organizations do not necessarily see as central to climate change efforts, our group sees these concerns as directly tied to just, fair, and effective action on climate change.

 

Two important disclaimers:

• This analysis is not meant to be exhaustive. These are certainly not the only issues we identified as being relevant to climate change.
• This analysis should not serve as an endorsement of any individual candidate.