Presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump hold radically different views on climate change and how—if at all, in Trump's case—the issue should be addressed.

The Earth has had three record hot years in a row with deadly heat waves scorching cities, sea level rise swamping coastlines and diseases threatening public health. Government action can make a difference on climate issues, as evidenced by the Reagan-approved Montreal Protocol and George H.W. Bush's campaign to reduce acid rain. For not just America but the world, climate change matters in this election.

According to the AP, here's where the candidates stand on climate change:

Trump calls attempts to remedy global warming "just a very, very expensive form of tax." He tells coal miners he'll get their jobs back. Solar power now employs four times more people than coal mining.

Clinton proposes to spend $60 billion to switch from dirty fossil fuels to cleaner energy. She says clean energy is needed, otherwise it would "force our children to endure the catastrophe that would result from unchecked climate change." She promises to deliver on the President Barack Obama's pledge that by 2025, the U.S. will be emitting 30 percent less heat-trapping gases than in 2005.

For a deeper dive:

News: AP

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