BLOG
Gov. Romney Calls for Energy Independence
-- John -- 02/14/2007
After announcing on Valentine's Day to nearly 400 South Carolina supporters that he intended to run for President, Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) fielded a question from CVSC about global warming and the recent call by 10 leading industries to cap carbon emissions. While the Governor did not directly address capping emissions, he did discuss energy independence at length, emphasizing that energy independence must be both our nation's short-term and long-term goal. The Governor wants to see an America, in his words, where "we produce as much energy as we use." And this in turn means pursuing a wide variety of energy options, including biodiesel, ethanol, solar, and wind, which according to Romney will not only help our country toward energy independence, but "allow us to emit less pollution into the air." Finally, the Governor concluded that he would like to see greater conservation efforts, noting that currently Americans use four times as much energy as the Japanese.
‘People Believe Passionately About This Issue’
-- Mike -- 02/14/2007
Interesting news out of Europe today:
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was staking his remaining months in office on reaching a new international agreement on climate change.
After talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Blair said he hoped to help thrash out compromises on a new accord to succeed the Kyoto Protocol governing reductions in greenhouse gases which expires in 2012.
"These next few months are absolutely crucial," Blair said.
"I think there is broad agreement in the world today on the threat that climate change poses to our environment and our planet.
"There is also an enormous drive in civic society. People believe passionately about this issue."
Read the entire story here.
Fox News Global Warming Poll
-- Adam -- 02/12/2007
A Fox News Poll conducted 1/30-31 and released recently shows positive movement on the issue of climate change among Americans. 82 percent of Americans say they believe that global warming is, in fact, real. That's a small but significant increase from the last time the question was asked in October 2005. A full 79% of those surveyed linked global warming to human activities, with over half of that group saying humans were the sole cause. "Sizable majorities" of Democrats, Republicans and independents say the problem exists. Even as the least convinced group (for lack of a better descriptor), a whopping 72% of Republicans believe there is some link between human activities and climate change. Of all groups, 79% of the respondents said they knew the issue at least "somewhat well". Overall, it seems like more Americans than before will be listening for solutions to global warming.
Gov. Huckabee Brings Boy Scout Rule to Global Warming
-- John -- 02/12/2007
With respect to global warming, while Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) is as yet unwilling to ascribe definitively human causes to its growth, saying, "Scientists are all over the board on that." The governor does feel we have a special duty to protect our natural heritage, a conviction that he says comes from an evangelical perspective. "If I believe there is a Creator, and this is His creation, then we have a responsibility to take care of it," he told reporters at a February 12 press conference in Columbia, S.C. Governor Huckabee spent the weekend touring the state to shore up support for a possible run for the presidency. When it was pointed out that a recent poll by the South Carolina Wildlife Federation found that a significant majority (65%) of South Carolina hunters and anglers feel that global warming is a serious issue, Huckabee responded that he is a long-time member of the NRA, Ducks Unlimited and is an avid bass fisherman. And so with respect to our planet, Governor Huckabee promises to apply the "old Boy Scout rule" - "Leave the campsite better than you found it."
‘The Most Serious Thing I’ve Confronted’
-- Mike -- 02/12/2007
John Kerry appeared on ABC's "This Week" yesterday and talked about what his decision not to run for president means:
"By not running, what I say about it now is outside of the cloud of oh, he's running for president and this is why he's saying it. I'm liberated, and I can say what I believe and think which is the same, but I hope will be understood differently. And, secondly, global climate change -- it's getting a little into that cliched atmosphere. It is ... the most serious thing that I've confronted since I've been here. ... Teresa and I have just been writing a book somewhat about that, not exclusively. The more I read, the more I study, the more compelling that issue becomes."
Weekend Round Up
-- Mike -- 02/12/2007
Brownback in Michigan:
[Brownback] also called for wiping out cancer in 10 years and for putting more resources into alternative energy.
"Michigan is going to be a key state in getting that done," he said, noting its efforts to encourage the production of ethanol and biodiesel.
Clinton in New Hampshire:
Developing new ways to produce energy, [Clinton] said, would create jobs and allow the nation to end its "dependence on foreign oil."
"The first thing," she cautioned, "is to get the government to realize that (global warming) is a threat."
Giuliani in California:
Giuliani met for about an hour Friday night with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, also a Republican. Schwarzenegger urged him to help bring about a national debate on health care reform and the country's dependence on fossil fuel.
Hagel in Virginia:
Hagel, a possible 2008 Republican presidential contender, told students, faculty and others that despite the obstacles, America faces "limitless opportunities" because many issues are interconnected globally.
Climate change, terrorism, pandemic health worries, poverty and the spread of radical fundamentalism cannot be solved without U.S. leadership working with allies for common solutions, he said.
Obama in Illinois:
On a global scale, Obama addressed the issue of global warming and what must be done to change the effects of it.
"We can set up a system for capping greenhouse gases. We can turn this crisis of global warming into a moment of opportunity for innovation, job creation and an incentive for businesses that will serve as a model for the world," Obama said.
Edwards: Fighting Poverty Meets New Energy Future
-- John -- 02/10/2007
Speaking at a town hall meeting of nearly 400 people in Charleston, South Carolina last Thursday, John Edwards offered a novel solution to the age-old problem of poverty in America. Among other clean-energy initiatives, his non-profit service organization, One Corps, uses high-efficiency compact florescent light bulbs in its home-building projects. According to the former North Carolina senator, "Community grassroots activism is what we ought to be doing as a nation." And to this end, embracing the new energy future provides one means of creating economic opportunity in sectors that have been hurt by globalization. According to Edwards, "We can use the transformation of our economy from our addiction to oil as a basis for creating jobs in the areas that have been hit hardest by globalization." During the meeting Edwards listed energy reform among his top three priorities, along with Iraq and health care.
Virgin Earth Challenge
-- Adam -- 02/09/2007
Richard Branson just annouced he's offering, as part of his Virgin Earth Challenge, $25 million to someone who can develop a technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, Reuters reports. Caps and reducing emissions alone may not be enough to prevent some of the many horrendous impacts from climate change. He said, "Unless we can devise a way of removing CO2 (carbon dioxide) from the earth's atmosphere we will lose half of all species on earth, all the coral reefs, 100 million people will be displaced, farmlands will become deserts and rain forests wastelands." The winner will be identified by a panel of judges, including Branson and scientist James Hansen. There are ways in development to store carbon dioxide once it's captured, but a big piece of the puzzle, cleaning out gases we've already released, may need this new incentive to become reality before much devastation has occured. Hopefully we can look forward to new attention from the scientific community and more solutions available to policymakers.
‘What Could Be a Bigger Issue?’
-- Mike -- 02/09/2007
Washington Post White House reporter Michael Fletcher participated yesterday in an online chat about the latest political news, and it included this exchange:
Washington: Michael, on Friday an international panel of scientists released a report on climate change, agreeing that global warming is here and that it almost certainly is a result of human activity. I was surprised (and frankly disappointed) to see that it had legs for, oh, a single news cycle. Do you see climate change as being a significant part of the debate in the presidential campaign?
Michael Fletcher: Yes, yes, yes. It feels like this issue is penetrating the public after years of floating in the realm of the abstract. The report probably didn't have legs, as you put it, because I think most of the scientific community already had drawn that conclusion. But now, for example, you see the Bush administration explaining that the president long has acknowledged the huge human component in global warming, and the president even invoked it in his State of the Union address. I bet this is only the beginning. After all, what could be a bigger issue?
Promise from the Hill
-- Adam -- 02/08/2007
John Donnelly, in an article today for the Boston Globe, suggests that the recnt attention to climate change in Washington is just the beginning. The 2007 IPCC report contributed further to increasing politicians' interest in the topic and how it might affect their constituents. Growing public knowledge of the warming threat have no doubt given new energy to the current hearings on Capitol Hill, of which Donnelly argues we will see a good bit more of in the coming year. The new Senate Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection will provide a forum for policymakers, including several presidential contenders, to learn and have focused debates about not just global warming but a whole series of impacts and solutions. It should be interesting to see where we'll be once the primaries begin and how candidates channel the inertia of the issue.
0 comments