The climate crisis didn’t receive much primetime attention during this year’s Democratic National Convention (DNC).

But away from the bright lights of the main stage, a series of low-profile panel discussions have offered a fascinating window into some key obstacles facing the Democrats’ climate agenda — and a lack of concrete policy proposals to overcome them.

Over the course of nearly three and a half hours, Democratic lawmakers, delegates and climate advocates convened for two Environmental & Climate Crisis Council meetings on Monday and Wednesday. The discussions boasted a broad slate of speakers, including progressives like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Florida) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon).

“I love the energy here. You’ve got the biggest caucus here at the DNC,” Khanna exclaimed during his address.

Indeed, the energy and enthusiasm in the room were palpable, even when watched via a YouTube livestream. Speakers repeatedly emphasized the climate wins of the Biden-Harris administration, particularly the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Justice40 Initiative, an executive order that allocates certain federal funds to marginalized communities overburdened by pollution. A crucial focus was placed on the intersection of climate policy and racial and economic justice. Several Democrats pointed to the fact that, during her time as San Francisco’s district attorney, Vice President Kamala Harris created one of the first environmental justice units explicitly focused on prosecuting polluters.

“Vice President Harris and Gov. Tim Walz are committed to bold action to build a clean energy economy, to create good jobs, ensure America’s energy security, reduce emissions, protect public health, support communities in the face of climate disasters, and hold polluters accountable,” said Harris’s chief climate adviser, Dr. Ike Irby. These are admirable goals, and Irby noted that Harris and Walz are “fully committed to building upon this promise.”

How, though, will they do it? That’s yet to be seen.

The Harris campaign has yet to outline its specific plans to tackle climate change. She has already walked back on her previous pledge to ban........

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