Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is welcomed by Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, before she delivers remarks at a campaign event, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Eau Claire, Wisc.

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP/AP

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Charles Rex Arbogast/AP/AP

In introducing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’ running mate, the Harris campaign hasn’t focused on climate change yet, or his work to reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels. But climate advocates are already heaping praise on Walz.

“Tim Walz had the best climate record of any of the VP contenders and has been unafraid to take on Big Oil,” Jamie Henn, of Fossil Free Media wrote on X.

“I am all in for Walz,” said Gina McCarthy, former Biden White House national climate advisor. She now co-chairs a climate coalition called America Is All In. “He can’t be bought by the fossil fuel industry. Walz is a climate champion moving Minnesota toward 100% clean energy.”

Last year Walz signed a law requiring all Minnesota power plants to use 100% climate-friendly energy such as wind and solar by 2040. That’s five years slower than the country’s goal set by President Joe Biden. But in making the announcement, Walz echoed the Biden administration’s message that transitioning the energy system to cleaner fuels also creates more jobs.

“Minnesota will continue to lead the way on combating climate change, and we’ll create clean energy jobs in the process,” Walz said. He also underscored the urgency scientists say is needed. “When I hear people say, ‘You’re moving too fast,’ we can’t move too fast when it comes to addressing climate change.”

Scientists say humans must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. But the world isn’t on track to achieve that goal under current policies.

“There’s a clear intentionality that Governor Walz has shown throughout his political career to center environmental issues and climate justice,” says Antonio Arellano with NextGen America, a youth voter organization. “We hope that he brings that now to the national level.”

Climate change has been a theme through Tim Walz’s political career. As a representative in Congress, he voted for a big climate bill in 2009. It would have capped planet-heating emissions across the economy, but the legislation failed to pass the Senate.

Walz was elected governor in 2018 and began working on climate issues his first year in office.

“He noted that Minnesota had failed to meet its emissions goals, so he signed an executive order to create a new subcabinet focused on reducing emissions and addressing climate change,” Arellano says. Walz also signed legislation that accelerated the permitting process for building renewable energy sites, increased training for clean energy workers and expanded electric vehicles. On Earth Day this year, Walz said he’d signed over 40 climate initiatives into law.

Walz’s Republican rival JD Vance has changed his views on climate change and the fossil fuels causing it. As recently as 2020 Vance expressed concern about climate change and using natural gas to fuel power plants. But as a senate candidate in 2022 Vance said he doesn’t think there is a climate crisis.

Now he’s criticizing Walz for his work on the issue.

“This is a guy who has proposed shipping more manufacturing jobs to China… Who wants to make the American people more reliant on garbage energy instead of good American energy,” Vance told reporters on his campaign plane Tuesday.

Former President Trump and Vance claim the Biden administration’s effort to boost electric vehicles will hurt the U.S. auto industry and help China’s manufacturing sector. The GOP candidates also regularly criticize, what they call, the “green new scam” and praise domestic oil and gas production. The Republican Party’s 2024 platform actually contains the words “Drill, baby, drill.”

The oil and gas industry favors Republican candidates with campaign contributions and the industry’s largest trade group, American Petroleum Institute, is advocating policies to “cement American energy leadership, protect consumers and help reduce inflation.”

“We encourage the Harris-Walz campaign to detail their stance on the key issues that will shape America’s energy future,” wrote Mike Sommers, API president and CEO in a statement. Specifically, the group wants a pause on new natural gas export permits lifted and more oil and gas leases for drillers on public lands and offshore, even as the U.S. is producing more crude oil than any country in history.

While climate change has not emerged as a key element of this campaign so far, the addition of Tim Walz means the candidates at the top of this November’s ballot will have very different views – and records – on climate change.