
Vice President Mike Pence did not agree with California Sen. Kamala Harris' assessment that the climate crisis poses an existential threat, saying when he was asked directly about that assessment: "The climate is changing. We will follow the science."
Pence, who has long denied climate science -- including once writing in an op-ed that global warming is a "myth" — immediately pivoted to discussing tax policies, rather than talking in greater depth about the climate. He also criticized Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Harris for linking hurricanes and wildfires to climate change.
"There are no more hurricanes today than there were 100 years ago, but many climate alarmists use hurricanes and fires to try and sell the Green New Deal," Pence said.
Harris, meanwhile, said Biden does not support the progressive Green New Deal but touted his proposed stimulus package, which would pump hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy jobs.
"Let's talk about who is prepared to lead our country over the course of the next four years on what is an existential threat to us as human beings. Joe is about saying, 'We're going to invest in renewable energy, it's going to be about the creation of millions of jobs, we will achieve zero emissions by 2050, carbon neutral by 2035. Joe has a plan," Harris said, adding that Biden would rejoin the Paris climate accord, which Trump left.