At Republican National Convention, climate change at bottom of pile

Milwaukee (AFP) – Climate change is little more than an afterthought for attendees at the Republican National Convention, who are gathered this week to crown Donald Trump as their party's nominee for this November's election.

"I don't believe all that," said Jack Prendergast, from New York, who believes that human activity does just as much harm to the planet as "when a volcano goes off."

"Trump is going to drill pipelines and we'll become the leading supplier of energy in the world, in the gas and the oil," Prendergast told AFP.

And the former president has promised as much -- adopting the slogan "drill, baby, drill" to sum up his fossil fuel-friendly approach.

Trump, who withdrew the United States from the Paris climate accord during his first term, on Monday appointed a fellow climate skeptic as his running mate: Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.

The 39-year-old, who would become Trump's vice president if they are elected, has previously accused Democrats of stirring up fears about climate change for political gain.

The two men will run on a 5,000-word Republican platform adopted on Monday by the party's delegates which makes no mention of plans for climate change or renewable energy.

Instead, it promises to end "green" policies it deems "socialist," and says the United States will become the world's number one oil and natural gas producer -- a position it already holds, according to official data.

Trump himself has said he is opposed to wind power -- a widely-touted alternative to fossil fuels -- as he is convinced it "kills all the birds."

'Bright future'

Climate groups such as the Sunrise Movement have criticized the Republican platform, saying the party "has made it clear that they're happy to make the climate crisis worse."

But for Stephen Perkins of the American Conservation Coalition -- perhaps the only booth at the Republican convention focused on preserving the planet -- you have to take Trump's comments with "a grain of salt."

"I think that some of his comments are meant to be more entertaining than policy positions," said the 29-year-old, wearing a striped blue polo shirt.

His organization is hoping to show what a "conservative approach to environmental policy and climate policy look like," which he thinks could entice younger voters.

But he concedes it's a "slow process," with older Republicans averse to agreeing to action on climate change.

According to a Yale survey published on Tuesday, more than two-thirds of Americans do believe in the existence of climate change.

However, that does not necessarily translate into support for Democratic President Joe Biden, who has pushed through several initiatives to combat global warming during his time in office.

Perkins instead believes Biden is at the mercy of a "radical sect" of progressives "that doesn't engage in nuance." His convention stand shows the word "destruction" alongside images of left-wing environmental activists throwing soup at a work of art.

If he had it his way, he would show that "we have a bright future ahead" despite the challenges of climate change, instead of "the doom and gloom."

© 2024 AFP