The climate crisis is an existential threat, and incrementalism is no longer sufficient. While the Green New Deal set an important framework by linking climate action to jobs and justice, we must now move faster and be more aggressive in transforming our economy and energy systems.

If elected, I will push for an emergency-level response to the climate crisis - one that treats it with the same urgency as war or a national disaster. This includes rapidly transitioning to 100% clean energy by investing at scale in renewable generation, grid modernization, energy storage, and electrification of buildings and transportation. We must phase out fossil fuel subsidies immediately, halt new fossil fuel infrastructure, and set firm timelines to end coal, oil, and gas extraction while ensuring a just transition for workers and communities currently dependent on those industries.

Addressing the climate crisis also requires confronting corporate power. I support holding fossil fuel corporations accountable for decades of climate deception, using regulatory authority and litigation to recover damages and fund climate adaptation. We must also use federal procurement, taxation, and enforcement to force polluters to change behavior rather than relying on voluntary compliance.

Climate policy must center environmental justice. Frontline and marginalized communities, often low-income, Black, Brown, and rural, have borne the brunt of pollution and climate impacts while benefiting least from past investments. Federal climate funding should be targeted first to these communities for clean air, clean water, resilient infrastructure, and disaster preparedness.

Finally, the United States must lead globally. I support binding international climate commitments, climate financing for the Global South, and trade policies that penalize environmental exploitation while rewarding sustainable production.

The science is clear, the technology exists, and the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of bold action. We don’t need more pilot programs- we need decisive leadership and systemic change, now.