Democratic Platform sees progress, needs more work

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Friends of the Earth Action President Erich Pica had the following response to the Democratic National Committee platform:

Thanks to the leadership of Senator Sanders and the power of the grassroots movement that he’s helped foster, the Democratic National Committee Platform has become more progressive.  This is a huge testament to Senator Sanders’ vision and leadership.

The unity amendment on climate change adopted in Orlando is an important signal that the Democratic Party is getting serious about fighting climate change.  The Democratic Party and Secretary Clinton, however, need to quickly move past platitudes and adopt meaningful commitments that show how the United States will do its fair share to mitigate climate change.

Many of these options — a ban on fracking, a moratorium on new federal leasing of fossil fuels, a carbon tax and rejection of the Trans Pacific Partnership — were voted down by surrogates for Sec. Clinton. We need more from a candidate who could be leading the United States when the world has its last shot to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Expert contact: Erich Pica, (202) 222-0739, [email protected]
Communications contact: Kate Colwell, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]