I actually watched the debate at a debate watch party in Boston, where I live, with
dozens of young people.
And there were over a hundred watch parties that took place like this, organized by Sunrise
Movement.
And we were really looking to see if NBC and the Democrats treated the climate crisis like
the emergency that it is.
And frankly, aside from a few bright moments, all of the young people who were at these
watch parties across the nation left in deep anger and disappointment.
We have watched our entire lives as the political and media establishment has completely sidelined
the issue, the greatest existential threat of our lifetimes, and refused to cover the
problem with the severity and intentionality that it deserves.
And we’ve been watching as Hurricane Maria claimed the lives of 3,000 Americans, as people
on the West Coast have seen their land burn up in a matter of seconds, as Miami is threatened
to go underwater and is experiencing severe storms every single year that worsen.
So, I think we were feeling—you know, and during that time, to see the DNC only devote
six or seven minutes of time and three sort of questions to the issue of climate was deeply
disappointing and frustrating.
And so, I think we saw a few candidates come out swinging on the issue of climate.
Obviously, Jay Inslee, who, as they said, has made his entire campaign about the climate
crisis issue.
We’ve also seen Elizabeth Warren come out within the first couple of minutes talking
about the investments that can be made in our country to lead the world globally in
green tech and green infrastructure.
We saw Julián Castro, we saw Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker also made mention of the existential
threat that climate change poses and talk about it through various forms.
So, I think, you know, all in all, we have been calling for a climate debate because
we know that, in large part, the establishment has failed us in treating this crisis and
talking about it with the importance that it deserves.
And we want to see a substantive debate on these issues, not just high-level talking
points and a media spectacle.
Varshini, Sunrise Movement sat in at Nancy Pelosi’s office, the House speaker.
In fact, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, before she was actually seated as a congressmember,
was protesting outside the soon-to-be House speaker’s office.
And now you’re protesting the DNC.
What has been Tom Perez, the head of the DNC’s response to this demand that Inslee made?
It’s not only that there hasn’t been a climate-focused debate, but the DNC said any
candidate who participated in a nonsanctioned debate around climate change would not be
able to participate in any of the sanctioned debates.
That’s right.
And I think that was the particularly inflammatory part of why he—why, you know, thousands
of people have voiced their opinions, have called on the DNC to revoke that position,
and why there are dozens of young people sitting out in front of DNC headquarters who have
actually been locked out of the building for days and will continue to sit in—sat in
overnight and will continue to sit in through the second debate.
But I think, you know, the DNC has offered excuse after excuse after excuse, calling
the climate crisis a single issue, saying that it’s impractical, or, you know, my
favorite, which is that it is against the rules.
But frankly, people in my generation couldn’t care less about the rules, when we are seeing
our entire planet begin to burn up in front of us.
This is a planetary emergency, and we haven’t seen our political leaders treat it as such.
So we’re calling for a climate debate.
And I think, you know, we’ve seen a multiracial, diverse coalition of people rise up in unison
alongside us to call for one, as well.
And when it comes to a question of our collective survival, there is no such thing as single
issue.