Democrats face climate challenge from the left

As Democrats gear up for this November's elections, some are facing a backlash from members of their own party who want more aggressive action on climate and renewable energy.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo (D) is one the leading figures in the US for efforts to promote renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. And yet Cuomo, and other incumbent Democrats, are facing challenges from opponents who say even more action is needed to combat climate change.

"With the incumbents, there is that challenge coming from the left," clean energy think tank Acadia Center advocacy director Bill Dornbos said. "It does have a lot of energy."

Cuomo, during his time as governor, has set New York on a track to reach 50pc renewable energy by 2030, while reducing GHG emissions to 40pc below 1990 levels by that same year. His administration has also moved to promote emerging technologies like offshore wind and energy storage, while strengthening the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative cap-and-trade program for CO2.

But that is not enough, according to Cuomo's Democratic primary challenger Cynthia Nixon, who says the state should get to 100pc renewable energy by 2050. She has criticized Cuomo for allowing aging nuclear plants to remain open, for not doing enough to reduce GHG emissions from all parts of the state's economy.

"Governor Cuomo only has a plan for the electricity sector when most of the emissions in New York come from buildings and transportation," Nixon said. "Governor Cuomo's plan also lacks targeted support for low-income communities and communities of color."

Cuomo's situation is not unique. Across the country, progressive candidates have come forward to challenge their more-moderate counterparts, largely in reaction to the conservative policies being put in place by President Donald Trump and the Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress. And that effort seems to be working.

"Leadership from the progressives and from activists is shifting the Democratic Party and their demands," environmental group Friends of the Earth Action senior political strategist Benjamin Schreiber said. Cuomo and others now "have to be responsive" to the left.

Some of those progressive candidates, like Nixon, face an uphill battle. Cuomo leads Nixon 59-23pc among Democratic voters, according to polling from Quinnipiac University released today.

In California, state senator Kevin de Leon (D) is trying to unseat veteran US senator Dianne Feinstein (D) this November. De Leon has touted his "central role" in setting up the state's 50pc by 2030 renewables mandate and cap-and-trade program extension. He has also proposed legislation to move California to 100pc zero-emission energy by 2045.

But De Leon faces a tough task in replacing Feinstein, a well-funded five-term senator who also has been a supporter of climate and clean energy legislation.

Despite slim chances for some candidates, others are forcing the party to sit up and pay attention. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez' shocking primary win over incumbent congressman Joe Crowley (D) has signaled that liberal climate politics may be set for new light. Cortez has called for a "Green New Deal" that would take the US to 100pc renewable energy by 2035. That would mark a sharp rise, given renewables supplied about 17p of US electricity generation in 2017, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Along the same vein, Colorado and Maryland last month selected Democratic candidates for governor who want their states to get all of their electricity from renewable energy sources.

The progressive rise in the Democratic Party mirrors to some degree the Tea Party movement that launched in the wake of the election of former president Barack Obama. Here, as then, more radical candidates have been able to use their opposition to a sitting president as a rallying cry to attract voters and unsettle established party platforms. Falling costs and rising employment in the renewable energy sector have also made forceful climate action more palatable to the public.

There is "real frustration with the pace of progress in the states," the Acadia Center's Dornbos said. "It has been given new urgency by what is going on at the national level."

The results in November will show how much this progressive push will actually shape the US future on climate and renewable energy. But even if unsuccessful at the polls, the wave of liberal-leaning candidates could end up tilting others to support more ambitious action.

The progressive push "is having an effect," Dornbos said. "Whether that leads to real policy action and results on the ground, is harder to say."

US electic generation by energy source

New York electricity generation March 2018 ’000 MWh