The climate crisis is indisputable for the rational and discerning thinker. Failure of the entire world to address this impending disaster makes all other issues mute.
Only half of the Democratic candidates showed up at MSNBC's Climate Forum 2020 and I find this deeply disturbing. Their absence certainly should be considered when choosing whether to support them or not. I am not surprised that Vice President Joe Biden didn't show but am deeply disappointed in Elizabeth Warren's absence.
Watching the entire forum is to elevate your understanding of not only the crisis but of some of the proposed solutions. It will also inoculate you to the Republican nonsense on climate change.
Included here is the complete coverage as well as some highlights of the Climate Forum 2020 as presented by MSNBC.
MSNBC’s Climate Forum 2020 (DAY 1 - complete coverage)
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Ali Velshi speak with the 2020 Democratic candidates about their plans to fight climate change during a forum presented by MSNBC, Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, and Our Daily Planet
Highlights Day 1
Al Gore: Changing Lightbulbs Is Important, But Not As Important As Changing Laws
Thirteen years after the debut of “An Inconvenient Truth,” former Vice President Al Gore sits down with Chris Hayes to talk about how fighting climate change has affected his ideological stance, what he thinks of the Green New Deal, and more.
Al Gore On Bringing Honesty And Determination To The Climate Fight
“Being honest with ourselves about the damage that has been done has to be accompanied by an absolute character-based determination to say, ‘Hell yes, we're going to do our best and we're going to get started as quickly as we can, and do it as well as we can.’ And I don't know any other way to do it.”
Bernie Sanders: "We've Got To Stand Up To Fossil Fuel Industry... To Save The Planet."
Sen. Bernie Sanders tells Chris Hayes and students that to take on climate change, people need to stand up to the fossil fuel industry.
Bernie Sanders: I'd Look Into Criminal Charges Against Fossil Fuel Executives
Sen. Bernie Sanders tells Chris Hayes that if elected president, he would look into pursuing criminal charges against fossil fuel company executives "who knew they were destroying the planet."
Bernie Sanders: Fighting Climate Change Will Create 'Up To 20 Million Good Paying Jobs.'
Sen. Bernie Sanders tells Chris Hayes that his plan to fight climate change would create "20 million good paying jobs."
Marianne Williamson: Our Amoral Economic System Leads To Immoral Climate Change Decisions
Marianne Williamson tells Ali Velshi that the amoral economic system in the United States leads to immoral decisions when it comes to climate change.
Andrew Yang: Why Changing How GDP Is Measured Matters In Fighting Climate Change
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang talks about how, as president, he would change how the GDP is measured and how this would impact in setting a baseline to fighting climate change. Yang points out that GDP does not account for hurricanes or life expectancy.
Julián Castro: Historic Floods Are 'Happening Every Other Year'
Julián Castro tells Ali Velshi that "500-year floods, or 100-year floods, they're happening every other year," in part because of climate change.
Rep. Tim Ryan: We Can't Fix Climate Change Without Working With China
Rep. Tim Ryan tells Ali Velshi that working with China is the only way that the fight climate change can be successful and that it underlines how complicated the United States' relationship with China
Rep. Tim Ryan: Get People To Fight Climate Change By Helping Them To Make Money Off It
Rep. Tim Ryan tells Ali Velshi that the best way to incentivize people to fight climate change is to help them figure out how to make money off those initiatives.
John Delaney On Vision To Build A 'Carbon Thru-Way'
Former Rep. John Delaney gives specifics on his vision to build pipelines as a solution to reduce emissions: "Imagine in the future... amazing technology to work side-by-side with agricultural methods to capture CO2, where we're removing them from the atmosphere."
MSNBC’s Climate Forum 2020 (DAY 2 - complete coverage)
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Ali Velshi speak with the 2020 Democratic candidates about their plans to fight climate change during a forum presented by MSNBC, Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, and Our Daily Planet
Highlights Day 2
Pete Buttigieg: Fighting Climate Change Could Also Create Traditional, Union Jobs
Answering a question from a student at Georgetown University, Mayor Pete Buttigieg says new jobs created by "retro-fitting" to address climate change can also be traditional union jobs, and not necessary "exotic."
Mayor Pete Buttigieg On Why The Climate Crisis Is An Issue Of Faith
Mayor Pete Buttigieg talks about how the urgency of climate change is, for him, consistent with being a person of faith. "It's a moral issue. This is about stewardship, this is about justice
Senator Cory Booker Jokes, 'I Do Not Have A Radical Vegan Agenda'
A student asks Sen. Cory Booker whether he will create tax incentives for people to make better personal choices that would positively affect the environment. Booker addresses the fear-mongering around his vegan lifestyle.
Booker: Combination Of Outside Forces, Government Must Work Together To Solve Climate Crisis
Sen. Cory Booker speaks with MSNBC's Chris Hayes at Climate Forum 2020 about how he believes that a combination of outside forces and good government can work together effectively to solve the climate crisis.
Weld: On Climate Change, Trump Tells Followers Drink The Kool-Aid, Don't Ask Questions
During Climate Forum 2020, Fmr. Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld addresses the difficulty of working with Republicans who believe that climate change is a hoax: "You just have to go around them."
Steyer: In 100 Years We'll Look Back, Wonder How We Were So 'Braindead' To Not Act Faster
Tom Steyer discusses conversations he's had with his family about what they would think about the state of the United States in 100 years, and explains how it "always came back to climate."
Bullock: Elected Reps Waste Half Their Time Campaigning When They Could Be Effecting Change
Gov. Steve Bullock speaks with MSNBC's Ali Velshi at Climate Forum 2020 about how much he believes could get done in Washington D.C. if laws were changed so that politicians spent their time making change instead of fundraising for the next election.
