Show Description:

We’ve all heard the quote by Former President Barack Obama that elections have consequences. That said, it is also clear that some elections have greater consequences than others. The 2024 Presidential election falls into that category, especially regarding the environment. Not only are the environmental issues at play both urgent and weighty for this and coming generations, but the difference between the positions of the candidates from the two major parties are stark.

Join HealthyPlanet’s Bob DiBenedetto and co-hosts Katherine Congdon and Bettina Barbier for an overview of how the leading environmental organizations have assessed the environmental records and positions of the Harris/Walz ticket vs Trump/Vance. Their conclusions provide a clear choice for those voters who value our ecosystem and a warning that the Trump/Vance ticket would put our air, water, soil, and climate at significant risk.

Environmental organizations across the country have clearly outlined the damage that the Trump administration did to our ecosystem, echoing the sentiment of nine conservation groups that collectively stated:

“Donald Trump’s administration has unleashed an unprecedented assault on our environment and the health of our communities. His policies threaten our climate, air, water, public lands, wildlife, and oceans; no amount of his greenwashing can change the simple fact: Donald Trump has been the worst president for our environment in history. Unfortunately, our children will pay the costs of this president’s recklessness. Our organizations have repeatedly fought back against these attacks, and we will continue to fight to ensure that our kids don’t bear the brunt of the Trump administration’s anti-environmental agenda.”

Tune in to hear:

• How Donald Trump received the first-ever title of ‘Dirtiest of All Time’ from the environmental watch group, whose ratings have been the gold standard for the public to evaluate the environmental records of elected officials.

• How a major US environmental organization characterized the Biden/Harris administration as having “the best environmental record of any presidency in American history.”

• How four leading environmental organizations who endorsed VP Kamala Harris for President stated, “The Biden-Harris administration has done far more to address the climate crisis and environmental injustice than any administration in our nation’s history.”

• How nine conservation groups considered the state of the nation’s environment after Donald Trump, and their consensus was: “Donald Trump has been the worst president for our environment in history.” No administration has been worse for our environment or our nation’s public health than this one.

• How Kamala Harris’s pro-environment voting percentage with the League of Conservation Voters was 90% while serving in the US Senate.

• How in 2020, Humane Society International shared the exceptional fact that Harris has received a perfect “100%” on their Humane Scorecard every single year since being elected to the US Senate, having consistently stood up against animal cruelty over the years.

• How JD Vance’s pro-environment voting percentage with the League of Conservation Voters was 0%. (He believes there is no climate crisis.)

• How The Environmental Defense Fund’s Action Board broke with their established practice of not endorsing or opposing presidential candidates when they announced it was against Trump. EDF stated, “We have gotten more done on climate (with the Biden/Harris administration) than in any similar period in American history, and the contrast with Mr. Trump’s tenure in office could not be more dramatic.”

• How Evergreen Action stated that The Biden-Harris administration delivered on climate by making major progress on 85 percent of what Evergreen and their partners asked for.

• How VP Harris has discussed the negative impact of red meat on health and the environment. In 2019, she suggested that the US government incentivize environmentally friendly foods on a national level. She said that moderation should be “encouraged” and that people should be educated on “the effects of our eating habits on our environment.” She also said she would support updating the national dietary guidelines to reduce the emphasis on red meat, in particular, and expressed support for updated dietary guidelines to encourage the reduction of red meat consumption nationwide.

• The connection between Trump/Vance, and The Heritage Foundation’s anti-environment Project 2025.

• The letter of strong support from 350 environmental, climate, and energy leaders and more, endorsing VP Kamala Harris and praising her record of environmental protection.

• The many environmental achievements that Tim Walz achieved as Governor of Minnesota, from imposing the strictest regulations on “forever chemicals” to creating grants for converting grass lawns to more pollinator-friendly habitats, to his “Hundred Percent by 2040” law brings Minnesota into step with Oregon and California by assigning a date by which they will be running on 100% renewable energy.  (These are now the only three states to have assigned such a date.)

• How Donald Trump’s record revealed a stark pattern of prioritizing short-term profits for polluting industries over the health and well-being of the American public. He made a mockery of environmental protection by appointing fossil fuel industry personnel throughout his administration, including a coal industry lobbyist, to head up the Environmental Protection Agency — a classic example of the fox guarding the hen house.

• How Donald Trump’s laissez-faire attitude toward polluters manifested in everything from removing regulations on toxic pollutants to allowing oil drilling on waters off the Atlantic coast to engaging in a “fire sale” of our pristine public lands—virtually giving them away to miners, drillers, and more.

Listen in for crucial information essential for voters who prioritize protecting our life support system.

Become informed, share this show, and vote on or before November 5th. The future is in our hands!

See Below For Useful, “Related Links and Resources.”