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.

Senator Fred Thompson

How do Thompson's climate change quotes relate to our seven benchmarks?

1. Legislation for economy-wide emissions reductions:

2. Aggressive R&D for low-carbon energy technology:
“We’ve got to redouble our efforts of American ingenuity and American inventiveness research and development. And that’s one area that the federal government ought to play a major major hand in and encouraging us in the right direction.” Watch the video

3. Federal planning for climate change impacts and response:

4. Picking the right team to carry the initiative:

5. Cooperation with international partners:
“If we start doing things drastically economically before we know some answers to some questions, not only are we going to hurt our economy, its not going to do any good with the Chinese and the Indians not participating. So we’ve got to do it on a global basis – sit down and do some things that make some sense.”

6. Reallocation of budget priorities:

7. Enable/encourage citizens to take efficiency and conservation into their own hands:

• Renewable Energy
  

  "Renewable energy has got to be part of the problem. Its part of our energy problem. Its not just global warming, although that’s part of it. Renewable energy and alternatives, no question about it. We have to do a lot of different things well - renewable alternatives, using energy sources that we’ve got here already."
  

  -September 9, Manchester
  
  

  “Again, we are only getting 6% now of our needs from so called renewables, and water and wind and things of that nature, but we can do better than that…there have got to be some solutions out there that we haven’t necessarily thought of yet. We’ve got to redouble our efforts of American ingenuity and American inventiveness research and development.” Watch the video
  

  -September 9, Nashua
  
  

• Non-Renewable Energy
  

  "It’s not like its going to stay at 60 its projected to get up more closer to 70 before very long along the current path that we are on. So we’ve got to use the current resources that we’ve got here at home. We can do ANWR without doing environmental damage. I’ve looked at it." Watch the video
  

  -September 9, Nashua

• Nuclear
  

  "I think nuclear – we’ve got about 20% our of nuclear right now and we’ve got to do better than that…but global warming is not going to be solved overnight." Watch the video
  

  -September 9, Nashua
  
  

  “Nuclear has fallen off the radar screen. We are getting 20% of our needs from nuclear while other countries, even so called ‘green’ countries are getting much much more than that.”Watch the video
  

  -September 9, Nashua

• Global Warming Science
  

  "I think the globe is warming somewhat. I don’t think we know all the reasons behind it or how much yet, but it is certainly something that we have to take seriously." Watch the video
  

  -September 9, Nashua

• Other
  

  Audience Question- What are you going to do about global warming?
  
  Answer- "All we can do." Thompson then moved on.
  

  -November 5, Dover

Nothing in Promises, Commitments & Priorities: Seeking a Presidential Leadership Agenda is meant to imply an endorsement of any candidate or political party.