https://time.com/7006717/tim-walz-kamala-harris-vp-climate-change/
Excerpt: In recent years, he has become one of the country’s most skillful climate communicators, even as he has remained relatively unknown to the average American. …
“Until we get the social scientists in… there’s a psychology that sometimes outweighs all of the basics of what the markets are telling you,” he said at Aspen Ideas Climate in Miami last year. “If people think something, that perceived reality is reality—and right now we’re not doing a good enough job.”
Translation: it’s not enough that climate policies are good for society. Politicians need to do better explaining it and proving it. How has that worked for Walz in practice? In a way, Walz’s messaging solution sounds a bit like President Biden’s with a lot of talk about jobs. “The surest way to get people to buy in is to create a job that pays well in their community,” he told me. That messaging needs to better tailored his language to meet voters where they are. “All of us are going to have to be better about our smart politics, about bringing people in,” he said.
…
Walz pointed to his approach to explaining his 2009 vote for cap-and-trade to constituents in his largely rural district when he represented Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives. He said he didn’t talk about carbon reduction instead he told voters that “we’ve got all of this carbon sink and all of this farmland that we can get rich on cap and trade.” The measure, which was highly controversial, contributed to the ousting of many of his colleagues in a Republican wave. He held onto his seat with room to spare.
…
There’s a good case that his messaging approach is working across Minnesota now that he is Governor: Walz has delivered big climate wins despite a closely divided legislature. During his tenure, the state passed a law requiring Minnesota utilities to generate 100% of their electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040, prioritized public transit and e-bikes in its $1.3 billion transport program, and created a $2 billion climate spending program that resembles the Inflation Reduction Act with incentives for everything from rooftop solar to electric school buses.
