Amid a barrage of climate-infused weather disasters such as and , along with the and many , climate change was barely discussed during the .
When asked the sole debate question on climate Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris said, 鈥測oung people of America care deeply about this issue,鈥� and added that the United States has increased a fact that will contribute to global warming. Harris' opponent, former President Donald Trump, didn鈥檛 answer the question, instead saying incorrectly that the administration of President Joe Biden and Harris is 鈥渂uilding big auto plants in Mexico, in many cases owned by China."
While climate was not front and center, 鈥� on fracking, energy policy and renewables, provided windows into major climate policy issues. What to know about key climate topics covered 鈥� and not covered 鈥� during Tuesday's debate.
Fracking
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a drilling method used to extract oil and natural gas from deep underground bedrock using a highly pressurized liquid. The technique is part of what allowed the U.S. to . As of March, the country produced more crude oil than , according to the Energy Information Administration.
On Tuesday, Trump falsely said about Harris: "If she won the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will end on Day 1,鈥� arguing that her administration would harm the state and nation's economy. Without a law approved by Congress, a president can only ban fracking on federal lands, which make up about 2% of the state of Pennsylvania, where the debate took place.
Harris said during her 2020 campaign for president that she opposed fracking. But lately, including during the debate, Harris said she would not ban the practice if she is elected. Though Harris said her values have not changed, the discussion of fracking was notable because the drilling method does not align with efforts to switch to clean energy, which Harris also says she champions.
Oil and natural gas are fossil fuels, the burning of which produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that warm the planet.
Energy policy
During the debate, Harris also called for investment in 鈥渄iverse鈥� sources of energy, 鈥渟o we reduce our reliance on foreign oil."
After Trump pulled the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change during his first term, the Biden-Harris administration reentered the global pact aimed at reducing emissions. The administration also set a and put forth policy to accelerate clean energy projects and shift away from fossil fuels.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed in 2021, has provisions related to climate change, and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act is the most sweeping climate law in the nation's history, pouring billions of dollars into the clean energy workforce that . It includes production tax credits for electricity produced from renewables, including wind and solar.
But these policies alone won鈥檛 be enough for the U.S. to reach its goal of cutting carbon pollution in half, nor do they stop the fossil fuel industry from having opportunities to expand on federal lands before renewables can be built.
Renewable energies
During the debate, Trump falsely claimed that under Harris there would 鈥渂e no fossil fuels鈥� and the country would 鈥済o back to windmills." At one point, Trump called himself a 鈥渇an鈥� of solar but then criticized solar farms that take up large plots of land.
Solar power can be generated on a large or small scale, but even the largest solar farms use a tiny fraction of the land used for agriculture in the U.S. Experts say wind and solar, both clean energies, will be key to tackling the greenhouse gas emissions that are fueling the climate crisis, causing substantial damages to humans and ecosystems alike.
Last year, was produced with renewables and the U.S. in order to do its part in addressing climate change.
Some key issues not discussed
Permitting of new energy projects in the U.S. has not gotten much attention throughout the election cycle, but it's important because it can make or break the nation's ability to meet clean energy targets.
Wind and solar power can contribute millions of dollars in tax revenue per year to rural communities, an . But first those projects have to get approved in local governments, a process out of the federal government鈥檚 control. Misinformation runs rampant, and communities can turn against those projects.
For instance, wind developers told report at least a quarter of applications to build wind projects were canceled in the last five years, with local rules and community opposition cited as some of the leading reasons.
Meanwhile, during the debate, insurance only got a brief mention by Harris, as part of a dig at Trump.
鈥淭he former president has said that climate change is a hoax," she said. "And what we know is that it is very real. You ask anyone who lives in a state who has experienced these extreme weather occurrences, who now is either being denied home insurance or it鈥檚 being jacked up.鈥�
Residents living in areas prone to disasters like flooding and wildfires are at all, and federal policies , an AP review found.
Electric vehicles also got little attention Tuesday, though Trump raised the idea of all critical minerals coming from China, which would include lithium and nickel. China currently . Though EVs can run on clean electricity, mining for their batteries is an environmental and human rights concern.
Biden has created U.S. tax credits for EV purchases. While Trump has said the current administration's efforts have resulted in an EV 鈥渕andate,鈥� that is not true. Automakers do have to sell some electric vehicles to meet , but those regulations can also be met with more fuel-efficient gasoline-powered cars.
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Alexa St. John And Melina Walling, The Associated Press
