The Democratic National Committee has launched an internal council to serve as its climate ombudsman and set a sweeping new policy agenda on the issue, HuffPost has learned. Michelle Deatrick, a surrogate for Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders in both 2016 and 2020, will serve as its national chairwoman. “The house is on fire.”Sarah Silbiger via Getty Images Protests calling on the DNC to host a climate debate last summer. The panel was born out of internal strife in the party, when Democrats’ ascendant climate wing publicly lobbied DNC leaders to schedule a presidential debate focused exclusively on global warming. The group faces steep obstacles to bringing the Democratic Party on board with the kind of sweeping economic and industrial policy scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic warming.

Source: Huffington Post February 06, 2020 10:41 UTC