The Carbon Coalition Heralded
June 18th, 2007 by Carbon CoalitionOpening the editorial page of the Portsmouth Press Herald last Friday, we were excited to find an editorial urging all presidential candidates to ‘heed’ the Carbon Coalition. The accomplishments of the Carbon Coalition and the issue of global climate change are increasingly penetrating both the mainstream media and the candidate discourse. This spring 164 towns (along with nine New Hampshire newspaper endorsements) passed a climate change resolution. We are grateful to the editors of the Herald for writing this piece and especially for including our challenge to all the candidates: implement and launch a comprehensive emissions-reduction policy that addresses climate change within 150 days of the election.
Below are the seven benchmarks that the Carbon Coalition feels must be addressed in order to produce a comprehensive climate action plan:
1) Legislation for economy-wide emissions reductions
2) Aggressive R&D for low-carbon energy technology
3) Federal planning for climate change impacts and response
4) Picking the right team to carry the initiative
5) Cooperation with international partners
6) Reallocation of budget priorities
7) Enable/encourage citizens to take efficiency and conservation in their own hands.
We look forward to hearing the candidates’ specific climate plans to meet our benchmarks. We hope that they ‘heed’ the advice of the Herald and recognize the importance of global warming to the people of New Hampshire.
