气候和环境倡导组织称哈里斯-瓦尔兹民主党候选人在气候政策上是一对强有力的搭档，引用了明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·瓦尔兹在推动该州减缓气候变化政策方面的记录。
民主党总统候选人卡玛拉·哈里斯宣布的周二早上，她选择了沃尔兹作为她的副总统竞选伙伴。
自然资源保护委员会(NRDC)行动基金总裁兼首席执行官马尼什·巴普纳在一份声明中说:“这是气候问题上的中奖彩票。”他补充说，“蒂姆·瓦尔兹使明尼苏达州成为了全国气候领导者。”
NRDC行动基金和保护选民联盟等团体表示，他们支持瓦尔兹，因为他支持的政策包括采取措施减少电力排放，增加电动汽车的使用，更换铅管，以及优先减少污染环境正义社区.
作为州长，Walz推动了气候行动和可再生能源的发展。2019年，他签署了一项行政命令称气候变化为“生存威胁”。该命令设立了气候变化分内阁和咨询委员会，以制定缓解气候变化的战略，并使明尼苏达州更能适应其影响。这些团体发展了一种气候行动框架该计划设定的目标是到2030年将该州的温室气体排放量减少50%，到2050年实现净零排放。
这结构还呼吁提供更多资金，以增加公共交通和电动汽车充电，以及其他举措，如森林和湿地恢复，在清洁能源基础设施和公共卫生项目中创造就业机会。
Walz州长也支持多项重要的气候法案，包括一项预算法案去年，该法案要求明尼苏达州到2040年实现100%的电力来自无碳资源，并通过安装太阳能电池板和为电动汽车提供折扣等举措提供数亿美元来减少温室气体排放。
然而，一些州环保组织对Walz执政期间州政府机构做出的决定提出了批评，例如，发布环境影响报告，允许建设3号线输油管道批评者称，该州应该进一步防止主要行业的潜在污染。
沃尔兹主张政治家们调整他们与选民谈论气候变化的方式，称对话需要更加个性化，并专注于直接的经济利益，而不是强调减少碳排放等更抽象的目标。
“如果人们想一些事情，他们感知的现实就是现实，而现在我们在这方面做得不够好，我不相信，”他在阿斯彭思想峰会去年。
Climate advocacy groups call Harris-Walz pairing a ‘winning ticket on climate’
Climate and environmental advocacy groups are calling the Harris-Walz Democratic ticket a strong pairing on climate policy, citing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's record of pushing for policies to mitigate climate change in his state.
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala HarrisannouncedWalz as her pick for her vice presidential running mate Tuesday morning.
"This is the winning ticket on climate," Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Counsil (NRDC) Action Fund, said in a statement, adding that "Tim Walz has made Minnesota a national climate leader."
NRDC Action Fund and groups like the League of Conservation Voters said they support Walz because of his record of championing policies including taking steps to reduce emissions from electricity, increasing access to electric vehicles, replacing lead pipes, and prioritizing reducing pollution forenvironmental justice communities.
As governor, Walz has pushed for climate action and growth in renewable energy. In 2019, hesigned an executive ordercalling climate change an "existential threat." The order created a climate change sub-cabinet and advisory council to develop strategies to mitigate climate change and make Minnesota more resilient to its impacts. Those groups developed aClimate Action Frameworkthat set goals to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Theframeworkalso calls for more funding to increase access to public transit and EV charging, among other initiatives, such as forest and wetland restoration, creating jobs in clean energy infrastructure, and public health programs.
Gov. Walz also championed multiple major climate bills, including abudget billlast year that requires Minnesota to reach 100% of electricity from carbon-free resources by 2040, and that provides hundreds of millions of dollars to cut greenhouse gas emissions through initiatives like installing solar panels and providing rebates for electric vehicles.
Walz has faced criticism, however, from some state environmental groups for decisions made by state agencies during his administration – for example, releasing environmental impact statements that allowed construction of theLine 3 oil pipelineto go forward in the state – that critics claim should have gone further to prevent potential pollution from major industries.
Walz has advocated for politicians to adjust the way they talk to voters about climate change, saying that the conversations need to be more personal and focused on direct economic benefits, rather than emphasizing more abstract goals like reducing carbon emissions.
"If people think something, their perceived reality is reality and right now we're not doing a good enough job on that, I don't believe," he said at theAspen Ideas Summitlast year.
