(Washington D.C.) On Tuesday night, moderators for the fourth Democratic Primary Debate glaringly neglected to ask a single climate change-related question. The two host media organizations, CNN and the New York Times, despite giving airtime to a climate change town hall and having a dedicated team of journalists to focus on climate coverage respectively, did not provide any spotlight on the climate crisis in the debates.

In response, Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, Director of 350 Action, made the following statement: 

“It is bizarre that in last night’s three-hour debate, the climate crisis received not one single question from the New York Times and CNN moderators. In the first of many acts of mass coordinated action, 7.6 million people took to the streets to demand bold climate solutions from world leaders, and yet the very media companies who covered the climate strikes and pledged their desire to prioritize this issue in their coverage, chose to ignore demands for accountability  for our communities. We demand that both our elected officials and our news media stop siloing the climate crisis and give it the coverage that reflects that it is one of the top issues that Americans care about.

“Debates, even at this stage of the election, are central to understanding the key differences between our candidates on the issues that impact us all. We will not settle for just one climate town hall to cover the crisis of our generation. From the streets to the ballot box, 350 Action will keep fighting for progressive climate champions who are willing to stand up for climate justice, good green jobs, just immigration policies, healthcare for all, and human rights.”

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Press Contact: Thanu Yakupitiyage, 350 Action Communications Director, [email protected]