On St. Patrick's Day, everybody's Irish, right? That includes the candidates, two-thirds of whom have traceable Irish roots. (The other married Bill Clinton, who descends from the Irish, too.) But as Political Nanny likes to tell her charges, it doesn't matter where you came from as much as where you plan to take the rest of us. So on this day of shamrocks and parades and beer tinged with food-coloring, let's see which candidate's platform is the greenest of all.
The Grist distilled candidates' positions into a handy table. In summary:
As with most issues, it's difficult to differentiate the Democrats. They both would make polluters pay for the right to pollute, and aim to get nationwide carbon emissions down to 1990 levels by 2050. They both want to raise fuel emission standards to 35 mpg by 2020. They both have multi-billion dollar plans for investment in renewable energy -- Obama aiming to get 30 percent of the federal government's energy from renewable sources within the next two decades. The Dems both want to require 60 billion gallons of biofuels produced by 2030. Neither loves nuclear energy, considering the water and storage problems. But Obama said it should be a part of the energy mix. Clinton doesn't want it emphasized as an option until those problems are addressed.
On coal they differ a bit. They both support clean coal, but Obama says he'll keep new dirty coal facilities from being built. He had some making up to do to environmentalists when, a few years ago, he sang the praises of liquified coal, which he now supports only with the above-described qualifications. Greenies also cast a suspicious eye on Obama, fearing his reach across the aisle could mean watering down tough but necessary environmental action.
Like the Dems, McCain also supports selling off pollution rights, but calls for much less aggressive reduction in carbon emissions around the country. He supports better fuel efficiency for cars, but hasn't laid out a specfic number like the Dems. He did introduce legislation in the Senate that would require all cars to get 36 mpg by 2016. McCain has no specific targets on renewable energy. He likes biofuels but opposes subsidies for ethanol. He's fine with coal but wants to find cleaner ways to use it -- no mandates or plans, though. He supports nuclear energy and has submitted bills which contain significant support for the nuclear energy industry. Back when other Republicans were putting quote marks around global warming, McCain was calling for action.
Now, campaigning has got to be one of the most unenviromentally friendly endeavors around. All those plane trips, all those buses, disposable everything -- not just for the candidates but for their entire entourage (and the press!). Clinton's campaign purchased carbon offsets, among other "green" strategies. Neither of the other two candidates mentions greening their campaigns. But environmentalism starts at home, and here's what they've done:
Clinton says: we have switched not only lamps to compact fluorescent light bulbs, but
also downlights, track lights, and vanity lights. We've installed
motion-sensor light switches so lights automatically turn off when
there is no one moving in the room, and switched to buying our power
from ConEdison's green power program.
We're also reducing our demand for energy by replacing windows and
doors to keep more heat and cold in. This has taken our total
[kilowatt-hour consumption per year] from about 14,000 to about 4,300.
We're currently working with the Rocky Mountain Institute to determine
how we can best incorporate solar energy into our home.
Obama says: We just bought a Ford Escape, so I traded in a non-hybrid for a hybrid.
We are in the process of replacing our light bulbs in our house and
trying to limit the use of our air conditioning, trying to make sure
that we unplug and turn off all of our appliances when we're not using
them. It's a fun project to work on with my 9-year-old and my
6-year-old.
McCain says: We just moved from a very large house with swimming pool and grounds
into a condominium, so we made a dramatic change. My daughter has a
Prius. And we have a place up north where we have solar panels in some
of the buildings. But we haven't done enough, and we intend to do more.
Other reading:
See their homes: Candidates' Cribs
See their voting records: OnTheIssues.org
Which candidate is family friendly?
