Tim Walz Pushed to Power U.S. Navy with Algae to Fight Climate Change

Democrat vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz argued for using algae to power the United States Navy as part of his efforts to fight climate change, claiming that sustainable energy solutions are crucial for military resilience.

During a debate with his then-opponent, Republican Jim Hagedorn, in Winona, Minnesota, in 2016, Walz spoke of the growing recognition that climate change is a pressing concern that cannot be ignored.

While noting that the nation’s armed forces can adopt new eco-friendly resources, Walz insisted that “the Pentagon is not a bunch of green tree-huggers.”

According to Walz, the Pentagon sees climate change as a significant risk that impacts not only the environment but national security.

“The Pentagon understands it’s a risk to the climate, it’s a risk to the environment, and it’s a national security issue,” he declared. “They’re trying to create the Great Green Fleet, where we power our Navy using algae.”

Walz has consistently supported radical climate change initiatives, pushing policies like a carbon-free electric grid by 2040. 

While advocating for clean energy solutions — such as algae-based fuels for the military — his stance has drawn criticism for prioritizing long-term environmental goals over immediate threats to national security as well as immediate energy needs, in policies critics warn will lead to higher costs and reliability concerns in energy infrastructure.

“Think Tim Walz is a moderate? Think again,” wrote Daniel Turner, executive director of Power the Future, in response to his remarks.

Climate Depot founder Marc Morano slammed the Pentagon’s focus on climate change under the Biden-Harris administration, describing the military leadership as being “hijacked by climate nuts” while accusing them of prioritizing environmental virtue signaling over genuine military preparedness.

“The Pentagon is absolutely ‘a bunch of green tree-huggers’ under Biden-Harris,” Morano said, dismissing Walz’s claim that climate change is a significant threat to national security.

The Biden-Harris administration has made climate change a central pillar of its policy agenda, including within the Department of Defense (DOD), drawing much backlash. In 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a climate directive that required the Army to integrate climate considerations into its strategic planning, resulting in a 50-page plan focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In a CNN interview on Thursday, Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris stated that her “values have not changed” regarding climate policy.

“I have always believed — and I have worked on it — that the climate crisis is real [and] that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time,” she said. 

She also admitted that the Inflation Reduction Act was primarily a green energy spending bill, which experts argue did not address inflation.

“We did that with the Inflation Reduction Act,” she said. “We have set goals for the United States of America, and, by extension, the globe, around when we should meet certain standards for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as an example, that value has not changed.”

Earlier in August, Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (OH) described Walz as someone “who wants to make the American people more reliant on garbage energy instead of good American energy.”