Following the release of his Green New Deal plan this morning, Bernie Sanders is now tied with Kirsten Gillibrand in the Greenpeace 2020 climate ranking [1] with an “A-” grade. With previous leader Jay Inslee out of the race, the two now share the top spot in the ranking.
Jack Shapiro, Senior Climate Campaigner for Greenpeace USA, said:
“Inslee’s departure leaves an opening for other candidates to claim the mantle of ‘climate champion.’ Sanders and Gillibrand are the closest to grabbing that title, and we hope to see them continue pushing the entire field to be as bold and visionary as the climate crisis demands. Moving forward, we hope to see more from Sanders about phasing out existing fossil fuel production on the timeline we need to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
“This kind of race to the top on climate change is exactly what our country needs, and it’s exactly what Democratic voters are asking for. After four years of policy rooted in denial, delay, and destruction, our next president will need to be fearless from day one if we are going to capitalize on the opportunity to create millions of high-paying, union jobs in a clean energy economy. Fossil fuel executives and lobbyists have thwarted our progress on climate change for too long, but they’ve officially been put on notice — their reckoning is coming.”
The current top ten in Greenpeace’s 2020 climate ranking is:
1. Bernie Sanders – A-
1. Kirsten Gillibrand – A-
3. Cory Booker – A-
4. Elizabeth Warren – B+
5. Joe Biden – B+
6. Tulsi Gabbard – B
7. Marianne Williamson – B
8. Beto O’Rourke – B-
9. Pete Buttigieg – C
10. Kamala Harris – C
Additional changes included in this update to the ranking include Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Pete Buttigieg all gaining ground after releasing policies to curb agricultural emissions and Elizabeth Warren closing the gap on the top spots after releasing a plan to protect tribal lands. Booker remains in third place, Warren remains in fourth, Buttigieg passes Kamala Harris to reenter the top ten, and Klobuchar moves up two spots to 13. John Hickenlooper, who had been the lowest-ranked Democrat, has been removed after dropping out to run for Senate.
ENDS
Notes:
[1] The interactive candidate scorecard is available here, a detailed breakdown by candidate is available here, and the scoring methodology is available here.
To maintain independence, Greenpeace USA does not endorse or oppose any political party, candidate, or elected official. We work to hold all candidates for office to the standard that science says is necessary to avert climate crisis, which means supporting a Green New Deal and ending fossil fuels.
Contact: Ryan Schleeter, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA: +1 (415) 342-2386, [email protected]
