Climate Change Forum with 2020 Presidential Candidates --- September 19-20, 2019 DATES UPDATED --- Washington, DC

June 28, 2019

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Our Daily Planet’s partnership with the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University to host a first-of-its-kind forum on climate change with presidential hopefuls this fall! All declared 2020 presidential candidates will have an opportunity to participate in this town-hall style forum, in front of a live audience of students at Georgetown and other area DC-area universities.

Our #ClimateDebate will give candidates an opportunity to discuss their vision for addressing and limiting the effects of climate change. Candidates will then take questions from climate journalists and from students at Georgetown and other DC-area universities, as well as from other partner universities across the country.

The town hall events will take place on Georgetown’s main campus on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 17th and 18th. Join the conversation online by tagging @GUPolitics and using hashtag #ClimateDebate. Please stay tuned for additional information to be shared on the McCourt School’s website and Facebook page and well as through our daily email. READ MORE

Why We’re Challenging the 2020 Democrats to a Climate Summit (Gizmodo)

The New Republic Drops Out of Climate Forum Amid Backlash Over Offensive Piece on Pete Buttigieg (Slate)

DON'T CALL IT A CLIMATE DEBATE: (Politico's Morning Energy)

UPDATE: MSNBC Joins as Media Partner for GU Politics/Our Daily Planet Climate Forum, Now Scheduled for September 19-20 (Georgetown University)

#ClimateForum2020 Announces First Wave of Candidates Participating (Our Daily Planet)

Our Climate Forum is For Students, and Why It Matters (Our Daily Planet)

Countdown to #ClimateForum2020 – One Key Topic Will Be Job Creation (Our Daily Planet)

Third Dem Debate Recap: Did We Learn Anything New? (Our Daily Planet)

Preview of #ClimateForum2020 – ODP’s Exclusive Interview with Tom Steyer (Our Daily Planet)

Climate Forum Countdown – Two Days Until Candidates Take Student Questions (Our Daily Planet)

A special preview for the Climate Forum, we have for you a "cheat sheet" of each candidate's climate plans in a nutshell (Our Daily Planet)

Voices of Students (Our Daily Planet)

DON'T CALL IT A CLIMATE DEBATE: CNN announced it would hold a Sept. 4 Democratic presidential town hall focused on the climate crisis. The network said it will invite candidates who meet the Democratic National Committee's polling threshold for the September primary debate to participate — which means they need to reach at least 2 percent in four approved polls by Aug. 28. The DNC is considering resolutions related to a climate debate, but has so far resisted calls from environmental groups and Democrats to hold a debate focused solely on the issue of climate change.

Another one: Georgetown's Institute of Politics and Public Service and Our Daily Planet also announced Thursday MSNBC would be a media partner for its "Climate Forum 2020," also set for September. All Democratic candidates have been invited to participate in the two-day forum.

The youth-led Sunrise Movement parsed the line between a "debate" and a town hall in a tweet . "We know that only a DNC-sponsored debate — with all the candidates on the same stage, at the same time — will put the eyes of the nation on this crisis at the scale it demands." (The DNC did not respond to a request for comment from ME.)

STEYER RELEASES CLIMATE PLAN: Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer unveiled his "justice-focused" climate change plan Thursday that calls for cutting "fossil fuel pollution" from all sectors to achieve a 100 percent clean energy economy and net-zero global-warming pollution by 2045. The $2.3 trillion plan hinges on social justice issues protecting low-income communities and workers, while pledging to declare climate change a national emergency, your host and POLITICO's Zach Montellaro report. READ MORE

Excerpt from Georgetown University: The Institute of Politics and Public Service (GU Politics) at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy and Our Daily Planet, an independent environmental news organization, today announced MSNBC as the media partner for “Climate Forum 2020,” a two-day forum featuring 2020 Presidential candidates in conversation with young voters on the issue of climate change. Chris Hayes, host of MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” and Ali Velshi, host of “MSNBC Live,” will moderate the forum. The event will be streamed live on NBC News Now and featured over two nights of special coverage on "All In with Chris Hayes," which airs weeknights at 8pmET.

All declared 2020 presidential candidates from both political parties have been invited to participate in the town-hall style forum at Georgetown University on Thursday and Friday, September 19th and 20th. [Note new dates.]

Each candidate will begin his/her allotted time by discussing his/her vision for addressing and limiting the effects of climate change in conversation moderated by MSNBC hosts Chris Hayes and Ali Velshi. Candidates will then take questions from students at Georgetown and other DC-area universities, as well as from other partner universities across the country.

“Poll after poll shows climate change consistently rates as one of the most important issues on the minds of young voters heading into the 2020 election,” said Mo Elleithee, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service. “Our forum is a tremendous opportunity for each candidate to dive deep into the issue in front of a national audience, while engaging in real dialogue with young voters. We’re thrilled to partner with Our Daily Planet and MSNBC to host that dialogue at Georgetown.”

“We believe it is critical to have a deeper discussion with the Presidential contenders on this urgent issue and are grateful to be working with the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service and MSNBC to make it possible,” adds Monica Medina, Co-Founder of Our Daily Planet.

Additional information will be shared in the coming weeks on our website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed.

WHAT: Climate Forum 2020, a conversation between presidential candidates and young voters on the issue of climate change.

WHEN: PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE: Thursday, September 19th and Friday, September 20th

WHERE: Gaston Hall, Georgetown University

WHO:

All Declared 2020 Presidential Candidates have been invited
Moderated by Chris Hayes, host of MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” and Ali Velshi, host of “MSNBC Live”
Students from Georgetown University, other DC-area universities, and early and primary states

HOSTS:

Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service
Our Daily Planet
MSNBC READ MORE

Excerpt from Our Daily Planet: This week young people are raising their voices – holding a press conference on Capitol Hill today and organizing a nationwide “Climate Strike” on Friday — in an effort to get all our attention on the topic of climate change. Just yesterday, The Washington Post published the results of a new Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll which found that a “solid majority” of American teens are convinced that climate change “will cause harm to them personally and to other members of their generation,” and that “1 in 4 have participated in a walkout, attended a rally or written to a public official to express their views on global warming” even though they are not yet eligible to vote.

Why This Matters: Our original concept for the Climate Forum was to give students a chance to speak to the Presidential candidates directly. That is why we are so pleased to be partnering with MSNBC and Georgetown University and its Institute of Politics and Public Service at the McCourt School of Public Policy, which both agreed that this event HAD to highlight student voices. Students at Georgetown plus Iowa State University, University of Southern California, and St. Anselm’s College will appear on camera during the event asking questions of the candidates, and questions will also be fielded electronically during the Forum from another group of schools that are hosting watch parties. We are so pleased to be part of this historic week for young people. It is young people who are fueling this movement. READ MORE