What to expect on climate at the Democratic convention

Climate advocates, green-minded elected officials and energy industry representatives will descend on Chicago next week for the Democratic National Convention.

They’re going with different messages, but they all share the same goal: cutting through the noise of a political environment saturated with special interests to get their cause to break through.

Climate hawks say the stakes have never been higher for their priorities. Vice President Kamala Harris, the standard-bearer for the Biden administration’s gains in the fight to slow down global warming, is going against former President Donald Trump, who has twice in this past week alone downplayed the effects of the climate crisis and has pledged to roll back a litany of environmental regulations if returned to power.

Environmental advocates are traveling to the Windy City armed with polling that shows voters care about the debate. They, along with their allies in elected office, are prepared to make a plea for candidates up and down the ballot in November to speak often about the success of the Inflation Reduction Act, which celebrates its two-year anniversary Friday.

At the same time, the leaders of associations representing various corners of the energy sector will be in town making sure their members’ interests are not forgotten.

DNC programming

The prime-time lineup of speakers on the main stage of the DNC has yet to be announced, but people familiar with convention planning told POLITICO’s E&E News they expect a portion of one of the four evenings to be dedicated to climate messaging.

There could be speaking slots for advocates but also for Cabinet officials to talk up the Biden administration’s environmental achievements.

Those officials are likely to include Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and EPA Administrator Michael Regan.

The DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis will hold sessions Monday and Wednesday afternoon, where attendees will hear from a mix of lawmakers and environmental leaders.

The lineup on Monday includes speeches from Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers who has pushed for schools to lead on sustainability, and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a progressive stalwart who helped launch a congressional investigation into an alleged decades-long climate misinformation campaign waged by Big Oil.

On Wednesday, speakers will feature Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), two of the most vocal climate advocates on Capitol Hill, alongside Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). And the progressive polling firm Data for Progress will unveil data related to climate messaging and the 2024 election.

Michelle Deatrick, chair of the climate council, told POLITICO’s E&E News that between…