--- title: Joe Biden Gets B on Climate Change from Greenpeace description: Joe Biden got a B on a climate change report card ranking Democratic presidential candidates released by the liberal environmental group Greenpeace. canonical: https://time.com/5598313/jo-biden-climate-change-report-card/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-30T16:22:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T23:15:51.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Greenpeace Gives Joe Biden a B on Climate Change Report Card og:description: President Donald Trump got an F og:url: https://time.com/5598313/jo-biden-climate-change-report-card/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt030bc277ab6b3517/69894a937cdbac6471d5f981/joe-biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3478 og:image:height: 1956 og:image:alt: Greenpeace Gives Joe Biden a D- on Climate Change og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Greenpeace Gives Joe Biden a B on Climate Change Report Card twitter:description: President Donald Trump got an F twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt030bc277ab6b3517/69894a937cdbac6471d5f981/joe-biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Greenpeace Gives Joe Biden a B on Climate Change Report Card > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Joe Biden For President: America Is An Idea [Watch (HLS stream): Joe Biden For President: America Is An Idea](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nALFn5is.m3u8) (3:30)  _Published 2019-04-25. Joe Biden For President: America Is An Idea_ by [Ari Natter / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Ari Natter / Bloomberg Contributor Updated: Dec 12, 2023 11:15 PM UTCPublished: May 30, 2019 4:22 PM UTC  Former U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden received a nearly failing grade from Greenpeace for his climate change statements. Former U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden received a nearly failing grade from Greenpeace for his climate change statements.Drew Angerer—Getty Images by [Ari Natter / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Ari Natter / Bloomberg Contributor Updated: Dec 12, 2023 11:15 PM UTCPublished: May 30, 2019 4:22 PM UTC Joe Biden got a D-minus on a climate change report card ranking Democratic presidential candidates released Thursday by the liberal environmental group Greenpeace. **Update:** Greenpeace [revised](https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/update-bidens-new-climate-plan-improves-his-greenpeace-grade-from-d-to-b/) its grade for Biden to “B” in June of 2019, citing “his commitments to investing in renewable energy and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.” Biden, the Democratic front runner, has yet to release a detailed plan on how he will combat climate change. But the [scorecard](https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/actions/candidate-scorecard-2019/) evaluated 19 candidates on their commitments to ending the use of fossil fuels and support for environmental policies based on statements, legislative records and published plans. Some candidates also responded to a 29-question survey from the environmental group. “If he wants to translate his front-runner status in the polls to actual leadership on climate, we need him to come out with a bold, concrete plan in line with the scale of the crisis we’re facing,” said Janet Redman, climate campaign director for Greenpeace USA. The Biden campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. During a campaign swing in New Hampshire earlier this month, the candidate called for an “environmental revolution,” though he has yet join many of his Democratic campaign opponents in signing onto the Green New Deal. “We have an existential threat,” he said. “If we don’t act quickly we’re going to basically lose everything we have.” The report comes as the issue of climate change has emerged as a marquee issue for Democrats on the 2020 campaign trail following the release of New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s ambitious plan to fight climate change called “The Green New Deal.” Support for that initiative was part of the Greenpeace score. Washington Governor Jay Inslee, who is basing his run for president on the need to fight climate change, received the highest score, an A-minus, on the report card. The next highest were Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who each received a B-plus from the group. Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, who has been supportive of his state’s abundant oil and gas industry, also received a D-minus. 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