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

The Business Roundtable, an association of 160 chief executives of the nation’s most powerful corporations called for “collective actions” to be taken to reduce the risk of global warming in a policy statement on climate change.  According to their website, the Business Roundtable is an association of CEOs “committed to advocating public policies that ensure vigorous economic growth, a dynamic global economy, and the well-trained and productive U.S. workforce essential for future competitiveness.”  The group’s members include many of the companies whose name we would recognize traveling around New Hampshire: Exxon Mobil, Coca-Cola, General Electric, and General Motors.

The Business Roundtable’s Climate Change Statement released yesterday recognized the scientific evidence that the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation both contribute to global warming.  They then stated that, “Business Roundtable supports collective action that will lead to the reduction of GHG emissions on a global basis…with the goal of ultimately stabilizing them at levels that will address the risks of climate change.”  Business Roundtable President, John Castellani said that the statement “marks the first time that a broad cross-section of business leaders from every sector of the U.S. economy have reached consensus on the risks posed by the climate change and the need for action.”  Though the association reached a consensus on the need to address climate change, divisions remain concerning the appropriate methods to combat the problem.

It is not just American business leaders that are recognizing that combating climate change could stimulate economic growth but the Presidential candidates are as well.  Senator John Edwards released his “green collar” jobs plan last Friday in Humboldt Iowa.  Forbes Magazine website reported that Edwards’ plan would create 150,000 “green collar” jobs per year, subsidize 50,000 government jobs in the renewable energy sector, and create over a million jobs by investing in renewable energy in renewable energy.

• An association of 160 of the most influential business leaders in the nation agrees about climate change.
• 164 New Hampshire towns called for national leadership by passing the New Hampshire Climate Change Resolution.
• Global warming will be impossible to ignore in the months leading up to the New Hampshire primary, but we must remain diligent.

Following in the footsteps of concerts such as the Concert for Bangladesh (1971) and Live Aid (1985), this weekends Live Earth concert will bring the issue of climate change into two billion living rooms around the world.  From Rio de Janeiro to Sydney to New York to Tokyo, artists ranging from Kanye West to The Police are using their celebrity status to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change.  The Live Earth Website states that organizers are hoping to “trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis.”

The presidential candidates are joining with the Live Earth effort.  I received an email from Senator John Edwards endorsing the event and urging all of his supporters to “transform the awareness into action” by taking the Live Earth pledge.  Edwards’ email urged people to attend the Parties for the Planet which will bring together like minded people together for regional gatherings to watch the Democratic candidates discuss their global warming action plans as well as the concert event.  This is an opportunity for anyone concerned with the future of our planet to compare the candidates on climate change for themselves.  (To find a Party for the Planet near you click here.)

The Live Earth concert has not been met with open arms by all, as there are many concerns about the concerts’ carbon footprint.  Yesterday’s Washington Post article “Just How Green is Live Earth?” included critical comments from The Who frontman Roger Daltrey and Senator James Inhofe.  Senator Inhofe famously called global warming a “hoax.”  Regardless of his opinion on the issue, Inhofe wants the concert participants to “talk the talk, to walk the walk.”  Its possible the Senator fails to recognize is the extent to which the concert organizers are trying to neutralize the carbon that the seven events on seven continents will generate.  All electricity used for the event will be generated by renewable sources, all stage lighting will be produced by LED bulbs, and staff and artist travel will be offset through Native Energy carbon offsets (See for yourself how Native Energy faired in Clean Air-Cool Planet’s Consumers Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers).

Live Earth will be broadcast at http://www.liveearth.msn.com/.

With so much talk about ‘firsts’ in the upcoming election, it seems only necessary that the Carbon Coalition should clarify what ‘first’ we want to see in the next president.  We want to see the first green president!  I ran across the ’green president’ term in “The Power of Green” the New York Times Magazine article written by Thomas Friedman.  Friedman’s view on the issue resonates strongly with many in the Carbon Coaliton, including the shared vision that global warming should be the ultimate political unifier.  The Carbon Coalition has aimed to remove the partisanship from the issue of global warming since our early days.

Friedman writes: “I think that living, working, designing, manufacturing and projecting America in a green way can be the basis of a new unifying political movement for the 21st century.  A redefined, broader and more muscular green ideology is not meant to trump the traditional Republican and Democratic agendas but rather to bridge them.”

“Green” has even penetrated the U.S. Army with the birth of a new military movement; the “Green Hawks.”  In Friedman’s article, he states that the Army recently converted to insulated, high-efficiency tents that use 40% less air conditioning.  Why? Initially it was an attempt to save lives of those transporting the fuel to run the airconditioners, who faced constant attacks from insurgents.  It became part of a larger Army effort to ”eat its own tail,” or establish more efficient supply lines by conserving energy.  Dan Nolan, who oversees energy projects for the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force said; “Energy independence is a national security issue…it’s the right business for us to be in.”  Whatever their motives may be, energy efficiency is common sense.

If the army, big business, local governments, state governments, faith based groups, and everyday citizens are all devoting themselves to the issue of global warming, it must be recognized by all (especially the presidential candidates) as the political bridge it can become.

The results of the latest Pew Global Attitudes Project should be disconcerting for any U.S. citizen.  The Pew Research Center measured the favorability rating of the United States abroad by surveying more than 45,000 people in 46 countries around the world from April 16 through May 29.

Though the U.S. held favorable majorities in 25 of 46 countries, comparing the 2007 results to 2002 was scary.  Sympathy for the United States in the post 9/11 year may have boosted the 2002 numbers a little bit. That being said, the study found large drops in favorability with some of our oldest and closest allies.  To our neighbors in Canada, we are 17% less popular.  This is a significant drop, but far less than some of our European allies.  We are 24% less well liked with Britain, 23% less with France, and 30% less in Germany than we were in 2002.

Here in New Hampshire, what immediately comes to mind after reading these drops in international popularity is an issue that affects the everyday lives of the entire international community, climate change.  Our precious winters are getting shorter, hurting key industries in the North Country like skiing and maple sugar, production was down 6% this year and 25% in Maine (For more figures click here.)  The Pew survey’s findings reflect a populous world opinion about the worlds leading emitter.  The study also found that “concern about global warming has soared in the last five years.  Most respondents agree that the environment is in trouble and most blame the United States, and to a much more limited degree, China, according to the survey” (For more on the study click here).

Presidential candidates should seize this major opportunity to improve our international standing by discussing this climate change and outlining their own climate change action plans.  New Hampshire citizens can foster a global warming discussion within the state’s Presidential Primary discourse and perhaps help to recapture our favorable world stature.  Check our candidate calendar for upcoming events and start asking questions.