Vance vs Walz: Where both veep candidates stand on climate change, clean energy

The first vice-presidential debate between Democratic Governor Tim Walz, 60, and Republican Senator JD Vance, 40, hotted up as the candidates tackled climate change, disaster response, and their differing visions for America’s future. The debate took place while Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of the US, leaving at least 130 people dead and hundreds missing.
Ohio Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, expressed deep sympathy for the victims of the hurricane Helene. “It’s an unbelievable, unspeakable human tragedy,” Vance said, during the debate on CBS news.
He stressed the need for a robust federal response, promising that a future Trump administration would put “citizens first” in disaster situations.
Shifting to climate change, Vance said, “Donald Trump and I support clean air, clean water. We want the environment to be cleaner and safer.”
He questioned the focus on carbon emissions, arguing instead for reshoring American manufacturing and energy production, claiming the US has the “cleanest economy in the entire world”.
“If you really care about cleaner air and cleaner water, you invest in American workers and American energy,” Vance said, criticising Kamala Harris for policies he claimed shifted manufacturing to dirtier countries like China.
He also called for increased investment in natural gas and nuclear energy, noting, “We haven’t built a nuclear facility, I think, one in the past 40 years.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’s running vice presidential pick, echoed Vance’s concern for the hurricane victims. “It is a horrific tragedy,” he said, emphasising the bipartisan efforts among governors to provide emergency management.
Walz, however, took a different stance on climate change, calling it an undeniable crisis made worse by extreme weather patterns.
“There’s no doubt this [hurricane Helene] roared onto the scene faster and stronger than anything we’ve seen,” Walz said.
He pointed to the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration’s investment in clean energy through the Inflation Reduction Act, which has created “200,000 jobs across the country”, including 2,000 in Jeffersonville, Ohio, and the largest solar manufacturing plant in North America located in Minnesota.
“My farmers know climate change is real,” Walz said, referencing extreme weather in Minnesota. “They’ve seen 500-year droughts, 500-year floods, back to back. But what they’re doing is adapting.”
Walz argued that the US is becoming an “energy superpower” by focusing on both clean energy and fossil fuels, emphasising that natural gas and oil production have reached record levels under the Biden-Harris administration.
As the debate progressed, the candidates’ contrasting views on climate action became clear.
Vance criticised Harris for relying on solar panels manufactured in China, stating, “If you’re spending hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars of American taxpayer money on solar panels made in China, you’re going to make the economy dirtier.”
He reiterated the need for more American-made energy solutions.
Walz countered by highlighting the administration’s success in clean energy job creation, pushing for smart investments in weatherproofing infrastructure and reducing environmental damage.
“Our number one export cannot be topsoil from erosion from these massive storms,” he said, noting that climate change is real for both scientists and everyday Americans.
As the US heads into the November 5 election, climate change and energy policy are likely to remain critical topics for voters.