Evan O’Neil, who works in the solar energy industry and lives below sea level, pushed Yang on previous statements indicating that nobody should live below sea level. Yang vowed to invest and fortify such communities, and noted that Katrina refugees still aren’t home. Saying that this isn’t a “you problem, it’s an us problem,” Yang told O’Neil that he wasn’t alone.

Next, Blitzer asked if Yang would eliminate subsidies for fossil fuels, or keep some. Yang vowed to get rid of them all, saying that there’s usually people on one side, and money on the other. He pitched his “democracy dollars” program.

Vic Barrett, one of the people suing the government to take action against climate change, asked if the president has the Constitutional obligation to end support of our reliance on fossil fuels. Yang applauded Barrett, and vowed there would be a Constitutional amendment doing just that. He also vowed to help poorer countries stay off fossil fuels, and brought up his signature “Freedom Dividend” and how it might help Americans shake that reliance.



Blitzer then launched into a speed round.



Ban the export of fossil fuels? No.



Support a carbon tax? Yes, and then Yang took the reins, saying that it’s essential to tie incentives into doing the right thing.

CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir came back to discuss Isle de Jean Charles , the residents of which refuse to leave because they don’t trust the government. What would Yang do to make “managed retreats” happen? Citing the Freedom Dividend, Yang pointed out that people who live paycheck to paycheck can’t be expected to make such changes—so the Freedom Dividend “takes the boots off their necks.”

A grad student from Yang’s own alma mater, Columbia University, challenged his enthusiasm for geo-engineering strategies, and asked how to quantify the CO2 emissions such work might create.

Yang gave a nod to his former stomping grounds, then Blitzer asked why we should divert money to untested energy sources instead of relying on solar and wind.

Blitzer asked if all Americans are going to have to drive electric cars one day, and Yang cheerfully reframed it as “we will all LOVE driving our American cars.” When pushed, he did promise buyback programs for “gas guzzlers.”



A faith-based nonprofit worker and Iowa native asked Yang for his plan to protect farmers’ livelihood while addressing climate change. Yang did well here, by pointing out that farmers must be given opportunities to modernize the use of their land, and protect family farms from giant conglomerates by making farm-to-table a more popular standard.

Blitzer asked another simple question: Should Americans eat less beef? Yang shook it off by saying that the planet will be okay if we stop eating it, but this is a country of autonomy.



Next up: Blitzer asked for Yang’s thoughts on the Green New Deal. Yang praised the enthusiasm for it, but said we’ve got time to work on it.



Next, Trump’s fake light bulb controversy. Yang said our regulations should make our lightbulbs as good for the earth as possible.



Back to the audience for a question about whether or not the U.S. should lead the way on a clean energy in the world’s economy, when countries like China might offset our efforts. Yang promises we absolutely can, and absolutely should. He pointed out how lucrative such industries can be, citing a solar panel installer whose business has taken off.

Blitzer re-directed him to answer the actual question, asking if our efforts would be in vain if China and India don’t join the fight. Yang said the Paris Climate Accord doesn’t go far enough.

Blitzer then asked if Yang’s universal basic income program would be enough to help oil and coal workers left out of work by the move to renewables. Yang pointed out that $12,000 a year is a game-changing amount of money for many, but focused again on opportunities these new industries bring.

The next question came from the audience and asked Yang how he planned to regulate toxic chemicals in products Americans use. Yang brought up his own children, and ridiculed people who think doing the right thing for the environment is “too expensive,” citing that what’s really expensive is poisoning our children.

x Ã¢ÂÂYou know whatÃ¢ÂÂs expensive? Poisoning our kidsÃ¢ÂÂ@AndrewYang dropping Ã°ÂÂÂ¥Ã°ÂÂÂ¥ right now #ClimateTownHall — Zach Graumann (@Zach_Graumann) September 4, 2019

Yang then vowed not to ban nuclear energy and to ban offshore drilling.

An attorney asked Yang how to get businesses to participate in the fight against climate change. He said that companies are waking up, before citing that incentives go a far way, and bringing up his new scorecard, which will make us all focus on the right things.

A video from a doctoral candidate asked about the military industrial complex and its impact on the environment—and what Yang would do to lower that impact. Yang told a disgusting story about the military wasting oil, and vowed to redirect a significant portion of the military budget towards infrastructure.

Blitzer then asked the standard question: What’s the biggest sacrifice Americans will have to make to address climate change? Yang turned the tables on him and pointed out that we need to stop thinking at the individual level and start thinking about collective actions.

x I like @AndrewYang's pivot on the question of what personal sacrifice he wants people to make to fight climate change. His response is that we need institutional and collective changes in the US and around the world, not straws and reusable bottles. #ClimateTownHall — Umair Irfan (@umairfan) September 4, 2019

And that was it for Yang. Now up, California Sen. Kamala Harris.

***

Read more about each candidate’s Climate Change town hall through the links below.

Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro

California Sen. Kamala Harris

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Former Vice President Joe Biden

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker