Last night kicked off the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Many of the speakers mentioned the importance of addressing climate change, following science, listening to the experts, and leading the world to a 100% clean energy future.  We are looking forward to more in the coming nights. 

As our Board Chair Carol M. Browner said in the blog post I shared yesterday: “The 2020 Democratic Platform matches the ambition of the robust Biden-Harris climate plan and will set our nation on course for an equitable and just climate future.”

But that future includes a fairer democracy and access to the ballot box, whether in-person or from home; it includes effective emergency response and affordable healthcare for families, whether they’re faced with respiratory issues from a global pandemic or the air they breathe; and it includes addressing systemic racism and police brutality and taking action to fight for racial justice. It was clear from the speeches last night that the various crises our nation is facing are all interconnected.

Here are some of the notable quotes from night one:

• Washington Governor Jay Inslee: “[Joe Biden] has unified our group around a clean energy strategy.”
• Senator Bernie Sanders: “Our great nation is now living in an unprecedented moment. We’re facing the worst public health crisis in 100 years and the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. We are confronting systemic racism and the enormous threat to our planet of climate change.”
• Senator Bernie Sanders: “Joe will rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and fight the threat of climate change by transitioning us to 100% clean electricity over the next 15 years. These initiatives will create millions of good-paying jobs all across our country.”
• Senator Bernie Sanders: “My friends, I say to you, to everyone who supported other candidates in the primary and to those who may have voted for Donald Trump in the last election, the future of our Democracy is at stake. The future of our economy is at stake. The future of our planet is at stake. We must come together, defeat Donald Trump, and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next president and vice president.”
• First Lady Michelle Obama: When my husband left…we had a record-breaking stretch of job creation. We had secured the right to health care for 20 million people. We were respected around the world, rallying our allies to confront climate change. And our leaders had worked hand-in-hand with scientists to help prevent an Ebola outbreak from becoming a global pandemic.”
• First Lady Michelle Obama: “Joe Biden wants all of our kids to go to a good school, see a doctor when they’re sick, live on a healthy planet, and he’s got plans to make all of that happen.”

As a reminder, LCV Action Fund endorsed Joe Biden in April and has praised his recent climate and environmental justice plans.