The investor is a green game-changer
The most important solution to the climate crisis has long been obvious: put a price on global-warming pollution in markets. But the “hacking” of American democracy by the biggest polluters has convinced many that we will first have to put a price on global-warming denial in politics. And it is to this crucial challenge that Tom Steyer has brought his extraordinary intellect, focused enthusiasm and the considerable wealth he earned in a wildly successful business career. By rewarding candidates who favor action and opposing those who do not, he has already changed the political dynamic.
Through his new organization, NextGen Climate, Tom is also helping to mobilize young voters and ensure that facts, not antiscience climate denial, have a better chance to prevail in races around the country.
There comes a time in every fight when the stakes are too high to back down and political hardball becomes necessary. Now is such a time, and it is heartening that Tom Steyer has joined the battle with passionate intensity, commitment and political skill.
Gore, a former U.S. Vice President, is chairman of the Climate Reality Project