Kamala Harris Vice President

Veeps and the environment

On the environment, Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris are worlds apart. But don't expect it to be front and center in the campaigning.

In their congressional careers, both Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris fell within the norm for their respective parties.


Pence's six terms as an Indiana Congressman won him a 4 percent score from the League of Conservation Voters, which compiles an annual performance scorecard rating House and Senate members for "good" and "bad" environmental votes. As Indiana governor and as Vice President, Pence stuck to the GOP's twin themes of climate denial and regulatory rollbacks. In her first four years as a U.S. Senator, the LCV rated Sen. Harris—who has pressed on environmental justice and clean energy—at 91 percent.

The two prior VP candidates that led with environment? You've probably already figured out at least one of them, Al Gore. The other one served two terms from 2001 to 2009, Dick Cheney.

Vice President Al Gore. (Credit: Center for American Progress/flickr)

Gore came to the vice presidency with his environmental street-cred already well-established. He organized the dramatic 1988 Senate hearings that brought climate change to widespread attention in the U.S. In 1992, his best-selling book, Earth in the Balance, issued a set of stark predictions of environmental stress that stand up distressingly well 28 years later. Also in '92, he helped lead the U.S. delegation to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, just months before his election as VP.

Gore also pioneered as a punching bag for his environmental advocacy. In his successful 1992 run with Bill Clinton, sitting President George H. W. Bush derisively called Gore "Ozone Man." This was a particularly cheesy assault, since Bush had promised to be "The Environmental President" four years earlier.

Dick Cheney served six terms as Wyoming's lone congressman, garnering a lifetime LCV score of 13 percent. His daughter holds the seat today. Cheney also served as CEO of oilfield supplier Halliburton, Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford, and Defense Secretary for "The Environmental President." In none of these roles was he fossil fuel-averse.

But when George W. Bush chose Cheney as his running mate and they captured the White House in 2000, VP Cheney took the reins of a task force bent on making the U.S. a new petro-state, climate science be damned. Cheney muzzled a conscientious Republican EPA Administrator, Christine Whitman, and helped grease the way for oil and gas fracking.

Now years out of power, former VP Gore shared a Nobel Peace Prize and won an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth.

With the Dems and GOP respectively staging their conventions the next two weeks, I'm not expecting the unexpected. Let's use the conventions as a guide. President Trump's 2016 acceptance speech did not include a blessed word about the environment—not even about dismantling environmental protection. Same for Veep-in-waiting Mike Pence.

At the Democrats' 2016 gathering, LCV President Gene Karpinski carried the green flag; a couple dozen speakers mentioned climate or environment.

And this year, who knows whether the avalanche of new emergencies will allow much oxygen to be left in the room.

Peter Dykstra is our weekend editor and columnist. His views do not necessarily represent those of Environmental Health News, The Daily Climate or publisher, Environmental Health Sciences. Contact him at pdykstra@ehn.orgor on Twitter at @Pdykstra.

Banner photo: U.S. Senator Kamala Harris at a fundraiser hosted by the Iowa Asian and Latino Coalition at Jasper Winery in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2019. (Credit: Gage Skidmore)

assateague island wetlands bird
Photo by Sara Cottle on Unsplash

Albert C. Lin: The Supreme Court just shriveled federal protection for wetlands, leaving many of these valuable ecosystems at risk

In Sackett v. EPA, a suit filed by two homeowners who filled in wetlands on their property, the Supreme Court has drastically narrowed the definition of which wetlands qualify for federal protection.
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

Can tires turn green?

Tire manufacturers are adopting greener production processes and more renewable materials, but they have yet to get a grip on tire particle pollution.

'I wanted to cry': Devastating risks of spray foam insulation hidden from Vermont homeowners

When asked how a homeowner could assess whether they’re hiring a high-quality insulation installer, Brent Ehrlich, a products and materials specialist at BuildingGreen, said, “I don't really have a good answer to that.”
climate change reshapes California coast
BigStock Photo ID: 430218898
Copyright: NFL1
Available for extended license use

California’s cliffs are crumbling as climate change reshapes the coast

Planners always knew choices would have to be made whether to keep building along the edge of the Pacific. They just didn't think it would happen so quickly.
Arctic warming biodiversity disruptions
Denali National Park and Preserve/Flickr/Commercial use & mods allowedNPS Photo / Alex Vanderstuyfhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Just between us squirrels, there might be trouble in the Arctic dating scene

Climate change appears to be disrupting the hibernation of females in the Far North, scientists say, and that could affect mating season.
James Hansen climate warming warning
cereid2/Flickr/

James Hansen warns of a short-term climate shock bringing 2 degrees of warming by 2050

The famed researcher publicly released a preliminary version of a paper-in-progress with grim predictions of short- and long-term warming, but not all climate scientists agree with its conclusions.

climate impacts on Lake Erie
John Beagle/Flickr/Commercial use & mods allowedhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Bracing for climate impacts on Lake Erie, the walleye capital of the world

Though fisheries are thriving now, “continuing warming on the trajectory we’re going is not going to be good for walleye and yellow perch.”

From our Newsroom
halliburton fracking

How the “Halliburton Loophole” lets fracking companies pollute water with no oversight

Fracking companies used 282 million pounds of hazardous chemicals that should have been regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act from 2014 to 2021.

President Joe Biden climate change

Op-ed: Biden’s Arctic drilling go-ahead illustrates the limits of democratic problem solving

President Biden continues to deploy conventional tactics against the highly unconventional threat of climate change.

oil and gas wells pollution

What happens if the largest owner of oil and gas wells in the US goes bankrupt?

Diversified Energy’s liabilities exceed its assets, according to a new report, sparking concerns about whether taxpayers will wind up paying to plug its 70,000 wells.

Paul Ehrlich

Paul Ehrlich: A journey through science and politics

In his new book, the famous scientist reflects on an unparalleled career on our fascinating, ever-changing planet.

oil and gas california environmental justice

Will California’s new oil and gas laws protect people from toxic pollution?

California will soon have the largest oil drilling setbacks in the U.S. Experts say other states can learn from this move.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.