Earth Equity News

Obama and McCain on Climate Change Issues. By Andrew C. Revkin, NYTimes, October 18, 2008. "Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama part company on many issues, but they agree that the Bush administration's policies on global warming were far too weak. Both candidates say that human-caused climate change is real and urgent, and that they would sharply diverge from President Bush's course by proposing legislation requiring sharp cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by midcentury. Such rare agreement has both industry and environmental groups expecting a big shift, no matter who is elected, on three fronts where the United States has been largely static for eight years: climate legislation, expansion of nonpolluting energy sources and leadership in global talks on fashioning a new climate treaty... But in recent weeks Mr. McCain has taken heat from some environmental activists for statements on the stump implying that he might not seek mandatory emission cuts. His campaign has not said how the ailing economy would affect his climate agenda. A high priority is helping revive the nuclear-power industry because nuclear plants produce no greenhouse gases, once built. Mr. McCain claims a byproduct of his nuclear push would be the creation of thousands of new jobs. Mr. Obama... insists that his energy plan, which is largely framed around measures that could have climate benefits, would remain a top priority even in the face of economic troubles. Rather than increasing joblessness, he says, his proposals to create federal programs to cut energy waste and to help Detroit retool and retrain to make fuel-sipping hybrids would create jobs. A top environmental goal of both candidates is enactment of climate-change legislation centered on a 'cap and trade' mechanism... But the devil on such bills is in the many details... The permits issued under Mr. Obama's bill would be bought by businesses through an auction... The brunt of the funds, he says, would help reduce costs faced by industries and citizens affected by the transition to a low-carbon economy. Mr. McCain's approach, according to his Web site, would distribute the permits initially at no cost, and move to auctioning 'eventually'... Mr. McCain would also initially allow businesses to meet all their emission targets either directly or by buying... offsets... Environmentalists tend to prefer Mr. Obama's approach, which many analysts say has less wiggle room and, in theory, sends a stronger message to companies that rely on fossil fuels to seek nonpolluting sources or reduce energy use... The League of Conservation Voters gave Mr. McCain the lowest possible score for his voting record in 2007 on subsidies or spending for renewable energy."