The candidates seem to have a ‘plan’ for everything. What might their climate change action plan include? Check out our seven benchmarks for a Presidential Leadership Agenda on climate change:
1. Legislation for economy-wide emissions reductions.
2. Aggressive R&D for low-carbon 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 conservation into their own hands.
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
How do Giuliani’s climate change quotes relate to our seven benchmarks?
1. Legislation for economy-wide emissions reductions:
“I don’t think that mandates make sense if you don’t have enough technologies to allow you to comply with the mandates. You are penalizing people before the technologies actually exist that allow them to avail of these technologies in order to avoid the mandates. Generally, I don’t like government mandating. I think that government mandating is always an excuse for solving the problem. It always makes things more expensive and it has almost never worked.” Watch the video
- December 2, Durham
2. Aggressive R&D for low-carbon energy technology:
"Clean coal, carbon sequestration is a process that can be done. It is very expensive. It needs more research and development to become more efficient, more cost efficient." Watch the video
- July 10, WMUR
3. Federal planning for climate change impacts and response:
"Digital grid...we think of solar power as just helping an individual house or building, but if you figure out how to have it contribute to the grid you could help everybody." Watch the video
- July 31, Rochester
4. Picking the right team to carry the initiative:
5. Cooperation with international partners:
“At an international climate summit my contribution would be to have the United States give a major presentation on the alternative sources that are available and that allow you to move away from fossil fuels…rather than doing it from the point of view of penalty and caps.” Watch the video
- December 2, Durham
"There has got to be international cooperation on global warming and the president has to lead that." Watch the video
July 31, Rochester
"China and India…this massive consumer market is going to be there, that's going to grow exponentially. How does America benefit by that?...America benefits by that when America invents things to sell them. What better things to sell them…than energy independence." Listen to the audio
- April 3, New Castle
6. Reallocation of budget priorities:
“Government should have a leadership role and where necessary the government should give help: tax credits or even subsidies if necessary and then we have to develop each one of the areas so the technology is available.” Watch the video
- December 2, Durham
7. Enable/encourage citizens to take efficiency and conservation into their own hands:
"Put an emphasis on conservation. Don't pretend to people that this could solve the whole problem…but we can make a contribution of about ten or fifteen percent." Watch the video
- July 31, Rochester
Other Global Warming Comments from New Hampshire
- Renewable Energy
"We have to expand ethanol" Listen to the audio
- April 3, New Castle
"We should further every single one of the alternatives. That means ethanol, bio-diesel...we should be the world leader." Watch the video
- July 10, WMUR
"Wind and solar, they are a little further behind than the technologies I just mentioned, but long term they could offer a tremendous opportunity." Watch the video
- July 10, WMUR
"We should get these processes cost effective; hydro power, wind power, solar power makes up a little over seven percent of our needs. We should target that for like fifteen to twenty percent. There are ways to do that." Watch the video
- July 31, Rochester
"I think incentives work better than mandates, so I would give tax breaks and help - I would help the industries that create ethanol, the industries that create biofuels, the industries that do clean coal, carbon sequestration, hydro-power."Listen to the audio
- August 16, Hudson
- Non-Renewable Energy
"Clean coal is one of those half solutions. It would reduce…the contribution. So we need to look at carbon sequestration methods for clean coal." Listen to the audio
- April 3, New Castle
"we have to have more refineries, we have to take advantage of oil reserves in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, off-shore…without doing damage to our environment." Listen to the audio
- June 6, New Castle
"We need more refineries. We need to take advantage of oil reserves in the United States, in Canada, Mexico and on the shelf. We have to do it carefully, in a way that we do not do significant damage to our environment." Watch the video
- July 10, WMUR
- Nuclear
"It has to be safe - nuclear power, but that is an opportunity that we should look at as well." Watch the video
- July 10, WMUR
"Nuclear power is something that we haven't licensed in thirty years in America. China is building forty nuclear power plants…that is something that we have to expand because nuclear is neutral in regards to emissions." Watch the video
- July 31, Rochester
Nothing in Promises, Commitments & Priorities: Seeking a Presidential Leadership Agenda is meant to imply an endorsement of any candidate or political party.
