The presidential candidates on global warming

A guide to their positions 8

I keep meaning to mention this incredibly useful guide to the presidential candidates' positions on global warming, hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Why didn't we think of that?

David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.

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  1. Ron Steenblik Posted 8:11 am
    07 Jun 2007

    Of small utilityI think the site would be more helpful if it also provided information on which candidates support subsidies for coal-to-liquids, which ones are backing higher mandated levels of biofuel production or use, which ones are trying to protect grasslands, and so forth.
  2. greenthinker Posted 9:15 am
    07 Jun 2007

    BtwIt should be noted that this site does not include all the relevant information about candidates. For example, it does not include recent information on Bill Richardson's climate plan.
    -Jay Odenbaugh
  3. Green NH Posted 12:09 pm
    07 Jun 2007

    Coal to LiquidsThe twin goals of an energy policy should be carbon reduction and energy independence in that order.  It boggles the mind that legislation could be introduced for a giant federal subsidy for the worst of the worst ideas for a fuel source.  Moveon.org is campaigning against this and in NH we will be trying to hold candidates' feet to the fire.  
  4. JMG's avatar

    JMG Posted 3:39 pm
    07 Jun 2007

    Why is "energy independence" important?Green NH, if you don't mind, can you explain why "energy independence" is something I should care about?  
    I mean, is everything in the world supposed to trade transnationally except for energy?  The US is pretty fat with coal, fairly exhausted on oil and natural gas, and has a fair amount of uranium, though not as much as some others.  We don't have a lot of untapped hydro potential.  So most of the fuels we have in abundance have real problems.
    As far as I can tell, "energy independence" either means

      (a) nothing,

      (b) very little other besides giving the biofuels crowd a club to use to extract subsidies, or

      (c) radical conservation and efficiency improvements and sharply increased energy costs in order to promote the conservation, efficiency, and  to fund the renewables.
    But what does the buzzword buy us?
    While we're still in the fossil fuel using business, I'd rather use oil from the Middle East than oil from the North Slope; I'd rather buy Qatar's natural gas than put a drill rig in every acre of the Rockies; and I'd rather not create a gigantic biofuels boondoggle that only creates an appearance of energy independence.

    Save the world: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.
  5. SustainableGreen Posted 4:15 pm
    07 Jun 2007

    Yeah--How about platforms without blinders?Hey, all:
    As others have already said, looking only at AGW reveals severe myopia.  There is a very broad sweep of environmental issues.  Sustainability may the THE most important, since it covers so many other issues.  The candidates only respond to what the demand is.  This is not leadership.  We need to not let them get away with it.
    David

    Sustainability For Life
    Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!
  6. GreyFlcn Posted 4:27 pm
    07 Jun 2007

    YeapYeap, even the word "Renewable" isn't quite right.
    I'd say that our energy needs to be:



    Safe

    Sustainable

  7. GreyFlcn Posted 4:31 pm
    07 Jun 2007

    The real ironic with Energy Independance.Which basically means cutting petroleum usage.
    The real irony is that the ethanol costs more than gasoline, so nobody uses it.
    For the very few people who fill up on biofuels, it's dramatically replaced by the loophole which allows car companies to DECREASE their Fuel Economy standards if they sell Flex Fuel cars.
    Which is why you have car companies making flex fuel cars, and not telling anyone about it.
    _
    Rather than making us less dependant, they are making us more dependant than if we had stuck with oil and increased the mileage standard.
  8. SustainableGreen Posted 5:20 pm
    07 Jun 2007

    "Humpty Dumpty" Words 'R' UsHey, all:
    Yes, "Energy Independence" has turned into pretty much a useless term.  It seems you can't put an important concept out there without it getting usurped, distorted, appropriated or otherwise FUBAR'ed.  
    Energy Independence = no Nukes?  No foreign oil?  No drilling in ANWR? No Iranian oil?  No Mid East oil?  No fossil fuels?  No oil companies?  
    A really slick marketing whore could trademark "Energy Independence"!  "Yeah, that's what we want!"  
    What was it that Humpty Dumpty said?  "I'll make a word mean anything I want it to?"   Welcome to Alice's world!  Courtesy of the corporate oligarchy.
    David

    Sustainability For Life
    Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!  

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