Panel Says We Will Win The Climate Change Battle (Their Mouths To Universe’s Ears)

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

What Happened: The Center for America Progress (CAP) held its IDEAS conference yesterday, and the most interesting discussion with Amy Harder with Washington Governor Jay Inslee, progressive activist Tom Steyer and Senior Vice President of Climate, Environmental Justice & Community Revitalization, Hip Hop Caucus Mustafa Ali.

Washington State has one of the most progressive solar policy structures in the United States, and Inslee says he believes that progress will continue in the form of the first carbon tax, which is on the ballot as an initiative in his state.

Steyer said – again – that he believes the only way climate change will be defeated is as part of broader coalition that wins elections and makes a strong pitch for community solar.

Ali made the critical point that the United States must fight climate change in a way that doesn’t just push it to underservered, low-income communities.

SolarWakeup’s View:  At yesterday’s Center for American Progress (CAP) Ideas Conference, Axios reporter Amy Harder sat down with Washington Governor Jay Inslee, progressive activist Tom Steyer and Senior Vice President of Climate, Environmental Justice & Community Revitalization, Hip Hop Caucus Mustafa Ali, to discuss climate change. What ensued was a fascinating discussion that lasted about 10 minutes and I’m sure will be its own video at some point, like CAP did last year (right now it’s smack in the middle of an eight-hour video of the entire conference).

Several interesting things did come out of the discussion, including:

Inslee is either running for president in 2020 or at least broadening his national profile so he can be part of the next Democratic administration. Oh, and he touted Washington’s work on climate change, including a carbon “fee” that will be on the ballot in November, which he believes will pass overwhelmingly.

Steyer, who in case you haven’t been paying attention is backing two critical pro-solar initiatives in Michigan and Nevada, said he believes climate change can’t be a stand-alone issue and that it has to be part of a larger progressive agenda to bring a coalition of people to the polls in November.

Ali focused on the importance of making sure underserved and low-income communities aren’t left behind in the climate change battle, saying the overall benefits – cleaner air and water, for example – should also be tied to jobs in those communities (which allowed Inslee to pipe up and tout his own state’s solar plan which, he says, invests money specifically to address the problems Ali highlighted).

The whole discussion is interesting and worth your time. I did a nice thing for you and shared the link that starts at the beginning of the panel. So go watch it now (and listen especially to Ali – his points are important additions to the discussion and are critical to its success).

More:

CAP IDEAS Conference discussion of climate change: