Young Voters Seek More From Harris on Climate Action and a Cease-Fire in Israel

Big-name environmentalist groups quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday, but some young Bay Area climate advocates are not convinced she is the right candidate.

“I’m still really debating, probably voting in the presidential election,” said 18-year-old Aniya Butler from Oakland, who thinks the progressive movement has “failed” to address inequities nationwide. “But I definitely will not be voting for Kamala.”

For Butler and other progressive voters, the move by the Democratic party to clear the way for Harris to potentially lead it is not so simple. They want a candidate — and President Joe Biden — to move further to the left, acting more rapidly to address the causes of climate change. Butler also sees the Biden administration’s handling of the war in Gaza as a political weight around Harris’ neck.

In March, Harris voiced public support for a temporary cease-fire. Still, Butler — an Oakland youth organizer with Youth vs. Apocalypse — is “disheartened” that Harris has not called for a permanent cease-fire.

“As an African-American young woman, it’s amazing to think about the possibility of someone who looks like me being in that state of power,” she said. “But what is that power even rooted in? And what is that power being used for? And in terms of right now, it’s rooted in inequity, violence and oppression.”

Environmental advocate Halimah Houston, 20, from Vallejo, a volunteer with Communities for a Better Environment in Richmond, sees the value in voting for a Harris-led ticket but wants a new policy course on Israel and the war in Gaza, too.

“She’s more competent than both Joe Biden and Trump to do the job, but I hope she recognizes we need a cease-fire since she’ll have more power as president,” Houston said.

Harris’s campaign is visibly targeting these Gen Z voters on social media with chartreuse “Brat” imagery, alluding to the Charli XCX album hailed as the vibe of the summer.

Meanwhile, leading climate and environmental groups jumped on the bandwagon this week, endorsing Harris for president. They believe the Biden administration has done more to address climate change than any other, including passing the largest effort to reduce emissions in U.S. history with its climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act.

Harris can also point to the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative as another example of her climate record, which is supposed to bring 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments on climate, clean energy and more to disadvantaged communities marginalized and overburdened by pollution.

For Alvaro Sanchez, vice president of policy for the Greenlining Institute, the possibility of Harris leading the Democratic party ignited a newfound energy for curbing the harmful effects of climate change in California and helping communities adapt.

“My hope stems from the fact that I’ve seen action from Harris as vice president and on a ticket focused on climate change,” he said. “I feel more hopeful that we’ll be able to progress on addressing climate change under an administration that takes that seriously.”

Other Bay Area environmental leaders — like David Lewis, executive director of Save the Bay — are touting the Biden-Harris administration’s record on climate action, calling it “one of the best in history for the environment and certainly on climate.”

“I think it’s a very clear choice for voters because both candidates [Trump and Harris] have policy positions and extensive records to run on,” Lewis said. “That makes it easier to understand what each administration might be like.”

Mary Creasman, chief executive of the nonprofit group California Environmental Voters, understands the views of young people who may refrain from voting for a Harris ticket but believes “there’s no question whether Vice President Harris is our best option for president right now.”

“Supporting and voting for someone does not mean we don’t push them in the next few months to make commitments to lead the way that we need them to lead, if and when they get in office,” she said. “At the same time, we won’t have a chance for them to lead that way unless we get them in office.”