The Political Climate: an ongoing commentary on the NH Primary and Climate Change

Friends of the political climate around the Granite State endured the late summer heat and humidity to see Edwards, Giuliani, and Richardson.  Here is a quick wrap up:

Sen. John Edwards spoke to a large crowd in Portsmouth last night and mentioned global warming a few times in passing and once in depth.  There was nothing new in his speech that was not covered in Friday’s blog, but I was surprised by two omissions about GHG emissions.  Edwards concluded his speech with a discussion about reasserting America as a positive global leader, but did not mention climate change.  Though he is in favor of international negotiations, it is surprising that he did not seize the opportunity to mention climate change in the context of a discussion of America’s global leadership.  In an email to TPC, an FOTPC expressed confusion about why Edwards did not mention climate change and the danger of increasing hurricanes when he was asked about the Katrina disaster.

Mayor Rudy Giuliani had a ‘nice little Saturday’ planned out, not at ‘the Home Depot,’ but at true NH hardware establishment - Scamman’s Home and Garden in Stratham.  Giuliani made it clear in previous trips through New Hampshire that he would not be in favor of international climate change agreements without the co-operation of India and China.  So, I thought it appropriate to ask him how he would involve India and China.  Giuliani stated that he would not pressure India and China to join an international agreement.  Giuliani believes that it is unrealistic to think that India and China would commit to GHG reductions because in his view it would mean that “they would have to stop development.  They are not going to stop taking 20-30 million people out of poverty.”  Giuliani stressed his devotion to achieving energy independence and noted that he wants to then “sell energy independence” to India and China.

After achieving energy independence, Giuliani would pursue a “whole new standard” in regards to international reductions of GHG emissions.  Giuliani did not provide any details about what this standard would be in Manchester, Stratham, or New Castle.  When you see him next time, ask Giuliani to speak more on his “whole new standard.”

An FOTPC caught Gov. Bill Richardson in Peterborough last Friday.  Richardson referenced “energy” as one of the six things he would address in his first six days in office and did discuss climate change.  As we know, the issue of energy is not synonymous with global warming.  Just like we challenged WMUR to compare the candidates on more than just ‘energy,’ we challenge Richardson to his list and include update climate change specifically, not just energy.  Richardson should not forget that he endorsed the NH Climate Change Resolution and not the NH Energy Resolution.

No, we’re not wondering if Edwards is a true brunette … we’re wondering if he does or does not endorse the NH Climate Change Resolution passed by 164 towns in NH last spring .  He’s never officially endorsed the resolution (like Dodd and Richardson and McCain have) – even though key parts of his energy plan include a national cap on emissions and investment in renewable energy sources.

Yesterday’s theme was “Achieving Energy Independence and Halting Global Warming Through a New Energy Economy” for John Edwards on Day 1 of his “Fighting for One America” bus tour.  Edwards made stops in Hanover, Keene, Peterborough and Hooksett where he made sure to talk about energy and global warming specifically before opening up to questions from local voters.

Since combating global warming is our theme every day, FOTPC’s were all over the state listening to what Edwards had to say and asking him questions about his energy plan.  Edwards noted key parts of his energy plan including a national cap on emissions and investment in renewable energy sources.  “We ought to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 80% by the year 2050, and I’m actually open to a more aggressive plan than that, but that’s the minimum we ought to be doing.”

Edwards made sure to tell the crowd that “There is a difference between my candidacy and my two major rivals for the nomination; I do not think we need more nuclear power plants.  I am not in favor of that.”  He also added that he is not for liquid coal, “I think the last thing we need is another carbon based fuel” and “I think we ought to have a moratorium, a ban on building any more coal fired power plants unless we actually have the capacity to capture the carbon which we do not have today and don’t appear to be very close to having.”

Before concluding, Edwards added something that Americans need to do in order to truly work together to combat global warming.  “I know you’re not supposed to say this, but I’m going to say it anyway, sacrifice … We cannot spend and innovate our way out of this problem, we’re going to have to conserve, in our homes, in our workplaces, driving more fuel efficient vehicles … We have to do this together.”

I had the chance to follow up on this with Sen. Edwards and ask him how he would enable and encourage citizens to take conservation into their own hands.  Edwards responded that it would be twofold, partly through financial incentives with tax breaks and credits and partly through peer pressure and the use of the bully pulpit. 

“I think if the president of the United States is driving this and driving it every day and talking about how important and how irresponsible it is if we’re not conserving, then I think it makes it very hard for people to ride around in big gas guzzling cars and waste energy in their homes or work places.”

Audio: 1 2 3 

Myspace and MTV are teaming up to hold a series of one on one discussions between the presidential candidates and America’s youth.  These conversations will then be broadcast on MTV and mtvU and webcast on MTV.com and Myspace TV.  Myspace joins Youtube as the second internet mega-site to facilitate a more participatory dialogue in the election.

The presidential campaigns have tapped into the various social networking sites which have exploded in popularity since the ‘04 elections.  The campaigns hope to reach a voting demographic that typically would not tune in to the nightly news or listen to NPR.  In this post Y2K world one can quite literally be ‘friends’ with their favorite candidate on sites like Myspace or Facebook.  Dude, that is totally way cooler than watching some lame-o debate on Sunday morning (unless snowmen are involved).

Lets not forget, America’s youth is the group that will be most affected by climate change.  Polls conducted by Hamilton College examined how high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors felt about climate change.  Many of these kids will turn eighteen within the next year and be eligible to vote in ‘08.  The Hamilton report found that 70% of youth think that the U.S. should start reducing emissions now rather than later.  When asked if a candidate’s position on climate change would strongly influence their vote, 59% said that it was somewhat likely and 20% said that it was very likely.  These numbers send a message to the candidates that America’s youth cares about climate change, and that the issue will influence their vote.  There will be no better opportunity to show a commitment to the issue than through the far reaching tentacles of MTV and Myspace during this series of one on ones with America’s youth.

These discussions are set to kick off right here in New Hampshire with John Edwards on September 27.  The Carbon Coalition will work hard to ensure that climate change is a priority within the discussions, so stay tuned as more details are released.  Also- The Carbon Coalition on Facebook…COMING SOON.
 

Hurricane Dean was the third most intense Atlantic hurricane ever measured, and it ravaged Caribbean islands earlier this week and made landfall in Mexico yesterday with winds of 165 miles per hour.  Now six of the top ten most powerful hurricanes ever recorded have occurred within the last ten years.

Chris Mooney writes in The Daily Green blog: “This staggering decade has occurred in part because of anomalously warm ocean temperatures in the hurricane-prone regions. Many scientists question whether you can explain these warm anomalies without invoking global warming as at least part of the cause.”  One can only wonder how the increasing frequency of intense hurricanes has changed public opinion about climate change.

John Krosnick conducts research at Stanford University focusing extensively on the public opinion of climate change.  In an interview with E&E TV, Krosnick discusses the two ways in which he believes people come to the conclusion that climate change is real.  First is that they listen to a majority of scientists.  Second is that they themselves pay attention to the changing environment in which they live and breathe.  Though there is no proof that climate change caused the mega-storm, Hurricane Dean is a devastating reminder of our changing climate.

Krosnick also found that the general public “absolutely” wants government to get involved to combat climate change.  This has been clear to New Hampshire since the climate change resolution passed in 164 New Hampshire towns this March.  “The wonderful thing for politicians” Krosnick replied to a question about the 2008 elections, “is the fact that such huge majorities of Americans are on same side.  They believe it’s a problem.  They believe it needs to be addressed.”  These ideas are not new on the pages of TPC.

Both TPC and Senator Barack Obama have been recently discussing biofuels - TPC in our blog entry “Memo to Candidates: We Don’t Grow Corn in New Hampshire.  We Grow Wood“ and Obama at a house party in Salem on Monday.  Obama told the crowd that the federal government should invest in cellulosic ethanol made from wood chips, an industry with potential in New Hampshire.  Obama also suggested that the rise in food costs (a product of increased corn ethanol production) would subside as high prices would only encourage farmers to grow more corn.

The specifics of Senator Obama’s support for corn and cellulosic ethanol are not yet outlined as part of a climate change plan, but it is clear that he is a fan of biofuels and would like the federal government to invest in them.