The Best Thing Democrats Can Do for the Climate: Stop Talking About It

As the US gears up for the midterm elections, Democrats are scrambling to rebrand themselves on issues that resonate with voters. And in this election cycle, climate change is taking a backseat – intentionally so. Matt Huber, a professor of geography and the environment at Syracuse University, has been arguing that Democrats should shift focus away from climate change and towards affordability issues.

Huber’s case is based on his observation that, despite two decades of prioritizing climate change as a core issue, Democrats have yet to translate this into electoral gains. The party’s attempts to make climate action a central plank of their agenda have fallen flat with voters. In fact, Huber notes that most Americans don’t prioritize climate change as an urgent issue – preferring instead to focus on cost-of-living concerns.

The release of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” in 2006 marked a turning point for the party, which began to center climate action around large-scale investment programs and job creation. The Green New Deal, championed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others, was meant to be a broad-based movement that could appeal to working-class voters. However, its polarizing messaging ultimately backfired.

The label became synonymous with draconian measures like banning farting cows and air travel – a caricature eagerly seized upon by conservative media outlets. As a result, what was meant to be a majoritarian politics became yet another culture war issue.

Biden’s administration has come up with its own solution – the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which passed Congress in 2022. Ostensibly a major environmental legislation, the IRA has largely flown under the radar since its passage. This is despite the fact that it was touted as one of the most consequential climate laws in American history.

Huber suggests that Democrats have realized talking about the apocalyptic nature of the climate crisis isn’t enough to inspire voters. Instead, they’re focusing on more tangible issues like affordability and cost-of-living concerns – which resonate with a broader swath of Americans.

The Green New Deal’s legacy is one of polarizing messaging and unrealistic expectations. While some critics may see this as a failure of progressive politics, others might argue that the Green New Deal was always doomed to fail due to its lofty ambitions. Either way, it’s clear that Democrats have learned from their mistakes – and are now looking for alternative ways to address climate change.

The IRA’s reliance on tax credits and private sector investment has meant that communities affected by these investments don’t necessarily associate them with a Democratic policy initiative. Instead, they see these projects as the work of private firms – which may not be the desired outcome for climate activists.

As Democrats rebrand themselves around affordability issues, it’s worth asking what this means for the broader climate movement. Will this shift away from climate change simply embolden conservative critics to further demonize climate action as an elitist cause? Or will this new focus on cost-of-living concerns actually help build a more inclusive coalition of voters who prioritize both affordability and climate action?

Whatever the outcome, one thing is clear: Democrats’ failure to translate their climate ambitions into electoral success has forced them to rethink their strategy – with potentially far-reaching consequences for the broader climate movement.