Steyer in Iowa

How do your plans on climate differ from your fellow candidates? I’m the only candidate who will say that climate is his or her number one priority. I’ve worked to stop fossil fuel plans with other activists. I’ve pushed clean energy laws and propositions, successfully. I would declare climate a national emergency on day one and it could be done in a way that creates millions and millions of new jobs.

You’ve talked about people in politics and in media acknowledging that climate change is a problem but then not making it a top issue. Why do you think that disconnect exists? I don’t know. Part of this is generational, I think. My kids know that if we don’t arrest this crisis, it’s going to dominate us in a bad way. If you’re following the news in Australia or the Amazon, you can see almost daily evidence of a crisis that we have to control or we’re taking risks with the health and safety of Americans. With all the evidence at hand, it seems I live in two separate worlds.