Climate change to be a top issue in Democratic presidential debate

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Brajesh Upadhyay, Washington
Published : 11:32, Jun 26, 2019 | Updated : 11:33, Jun 26, 2019

For most Democrats, climate change is a major issue and for the party’s progressive wing it has emerged as the most important issue.Twenty candidates will come together on Wednesday and Thursday for the first time to make their pitch to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in the 2020 presidential race against Donald Trump.
The high-risk, high-reward debate on national television will be an opportunity for at least 18 candidates to make a first strong impression in a crowded race.
Former vice-president Joe Biden, making his third presidential bid, and Senator Bernie Sanders, making his second, are the only contenders who have been on a presidential debate stage before.
A recent poll gave Joe Biden a big lead with 30 percent of those likely to vote in Democratic primaries supporting him. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was second at 15%, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren third at 10%, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg fourth at 9% and California Senator Kamala Harris fifth at 8%.
Election analysts believe these numbers are fragile and may change after the debates—the first on Wednesday with 10 candidates on stage and the second on Thursday with the other 10 contenders.
The same poll listed Health Care, Immigration and Economy as the top three issues, but Climate Change has emerged as a significant fourth issue for the voters.
In the last two years, President Trump has done away with many regulations that came into existence to cut down America’s carbon footprint and under his leadership the US has also withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord.
For most Democrats, climate change is a major issue and for the party’s progressive wing it has emerged as the most important issue.
Most of the candidates agree that the US must reach net-zero emissions by 2050—the target recommended by IPCC to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
But the electorate, particularly young voters, are expected to be keenly watching how far the candidates are willing to go on the issue.
More than half of the contenders, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker, Jay Inslee and Pete Buttigieg have backed the Green New Deal--- a big, bold transformation of the economy to tackle the twin crises of inequality and climate change-- and many have also called for a moratorium on drilling on federal land.
Recent reports suggest Joe Biden has proposed a measured “middle-ground” approach drawing severe criticism from the progressive left.
Election analysts believe that in a crowded field where the candidates are expected to get just about six to eight minutes each, the ones with the sharpest message in the shortest possible time are likely to make a mark.

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