Presidential Candidates' Stances on the Environment

In response to Simon's second set of questions:

I would say that both candidates sound like market liberals in general, because both advocate policies that essentially let the market ameliorate environmental problems. However, McCain is a stricter market liberal, since his big idea is a cap-and-trade system, which would control overall emissions by allowing companies to trade their excess CO2 emissions for cash. Obama, on the other hand, while not quite institutionalist, does seem to worry more about environmental scarcity than McCain (80% CO2 reduction by 2050), but doesn't come right out and support the UN or other global institutions (McCain actually does mention the UN, in the context of U.S. leadership, though). This is pretty indicative of many politicians, especially Americans: as election day draws nearer, they move closer and closer to the center, sometimes clouding the differences between them...

Also, I think that it would be very hard to espouse an obvious bioenvironmentalist, social green, or even blatant institutionalist stance because of today's political climate. Unfortunately, as we've discussed in class, many politicians (and people in general) talk about the economy and environment as "either/or," meaning that if you have one you have to forgo the other. Therefore, the second that someone starts mentioning "excessive" limits, or advocating "radical" social change to solve environmental problems, they're labeled a fear mongerer or a Communist.

I personally believe that Obama's environmental, economic and energy policy sounds the most logical. I really appreciate his emphasis on creating 5 million green jobs and steadily increasing renewable energy usage (and, of course, his goal to cut CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050). He seems to propagate a more grass roots approach, which I think is the best way to handle the environmental crisis we face. I do like McCain's battery powered car challenge, though...

One thing that still puzzles me is the candidates' support for "clean coal technology" and biofuels. I don't believe in "clean coal" - I'm pretty sure you can't turn soot into rays of sunshine anytime soon. Also, as we discussed in class, biofuels are usually pretty ridiculous - they result in a net energy loss and contribute to world food shortages.

Anyways, though, if Gore is throwing his vote to Obama, I certainly will.