By Anders Lorenzen

Forty-eight hours can be a long time in politics, as the US political landscape is turned upside down in a matter of days.

On Sunday, President Biden, after weeks or perhaps months of Democratic pressure to withdraw from the presidential race, conceded and endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris to be the next US President. Harris has already won enough backers to secure her nomination ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. She has also secured additional funding of more than $130 million on top of what the Biden-Harris campaign had already raised.

Americans, as well as global citizens concerned about the climate crisis, had been increasingly concerned about Biden’s lacklustre performance, which made a Trump presidency more and more likely. Such an event would mean undoing everything that President Biden has achieved on climate change, and would significantly set back global emission reduction efforts.

President Biden is widely recognised for one of the most ambitious and significant acts in climate legislation, having signed into law the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Now by dropping out of the race, he secures that climate legacy 

Strong climate focus

There’s an indication that a Harris presidency could have a stronger climate action focus than the Biden Administration. She is believed to have a stronger understanding of this issue than the outgoing president.

The leading green groups in the US seem to agree on Harris’ impressive climate record.

Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Tiernan Sittenfeld said “Whether holding polluters accountable as San Francisco District Attorney and California Attorney General, leading the charge on electric school buses in the U.S. Senate, or casting the deciding vote on the biggest investment ever in climate, clean energy and environmental justice, and leading on climate on the world stage as Vice President, Kamala Harris has long been a climate champion, and we are proud to support her candidacy”.

Sierra Club Executive Director, Ben Jealous added: “Kamala Harris is a courageous advocate for the people and the planet. From prosecuting polluters as California’s Attorney General to authoring bold climate legislation that would become central to the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, she has worked for decades to combat the climate crisis and protect our health and future. It would be an honour to call her Madam President.”

Fresh polling shows that the Harris campaign has already made an impact. A Reuters/Ipsos poll showing Harris taking the lead for the first time by +4 points – even considering the margin of error, this comes after a Morning Consult poll the day before showing Trump ahead by +2 points, though this is considered even considering the margin of error.