The Earth is getting hotter, but climate change isn't a big topic for Democrats this election season

Climate change has shaped Charles Hughes' whole life. He learned about disappearing animal habitats in kindergarten and breathed smoky air from wildfires while growing up in Colorado. But now that he is a college student in Massachusetts, he says global warming hardly ever comes up as a major issue anymore. Hughes leads the College Democrats chapter in Massachusetts, and even among young people who care about the environment, other topics have taken over the conversation.

Six years ago, climate change was one of the most talked-about issues for Democrats. During Trump's first term and the 2020 Democratic primaries, the party used it to energize young voters. That led to major protests and bold proposals like the Green New Deal — a plan to rebuild the economy using clean energy. Those conversations feel far away now.

Today, some researchers use the term 'climate hushing' to describe what is happening. It means people are staying quiet about climate change on purpose. A Democratic think tank called the Searchlight Institute even told the party to stop mentioning climate change, saying most voters do not rank it as a top concern. A group called the Sunrise Movement, which once pushed young people to fight global warming, also changed its mission to focus on a broader set of issues.

This change is easy to see in Massachusetts, where two Democrats are competing for a U.S. Senate seat. Ed Markey, 80, is the current senator and helped create the Green New Deal. His challenger is U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, 47. Even Markey's campaign now focuses more on other issues, like proving he is still strong enough for the job, while climate has been pushed aside by topics like the cost of living and how Democrats should stand up to Trump.

Even if politicians are talking less about climate, the planet is not cooling down. Scientists say 2026 could become the hottest year ever recorded, and a weather pattern called El Niño is expected to push temperatures even higher. Some climate supporters hope the issue will return to center stage if major climate disasters happen this winter. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island says ignoring climate change is a serious mistake, calling it a big strategic 'blunder.'

Polls show that about 6 in 10 Democrats say climate change is a very big problem, which is about the same as in 2016, according to a Pew Research Center survey. But when it comes to what voters want leaders to fix first, climate often falls behind rising prices, healthcare costs, and money in politics. McKenzie Wilson, who works at a Democratic data firm, warns that if Democrats do not focus on what voters care most about, they will lose the connection they need to win elections.

Some climate supporters are trying a new approach by connecting climate action to everyday costs. They argue that clean energy can lower electricity bills and reduce home insurance prices. 'Whether you're advocating for healthcare reform or climate action or some niche tech issue, everything is filtered through some cost frame,' said Jared Leopold, a Democratic strategist. This strategy came up at a recent Markey-Moulton debate, when Markey used an energy question to criticize Trump's rollback of clean energy plans.

Leah Stokes, a political scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said it was deeply troubling when politicians make climate change a lower priority. She warned that the planet will be in even worse shape if leaders stay silent for a decade. Anthony Leiserowitz of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication agreed, saying decisions made over the next ten years will shape how livable Earth is for thousands of years to come. Their message is clear: the cost of silence could be very high.