McCain or Obama - who is good for science? Chapter 3: Stop global warming denial

After eight years of denying global warming, it turns out that at least in this area there is no difference between the two candidates for the US presidency. Now the question is - who do you believe more?

The most central and obvious issue is climate change. No matter who wins, the pattern of the last eight years of denial and foot-dragging will end. Both McCain and Obama seek to regulate greenhouse gas emissions through emission limits and an emissions trading system. Given the ongoing energy crisis, each of them, if elected, would have the support of Congress and could begin advancing the issue immediately upon taking office.

John McCain has been one of the most prominent speakers on climate change. Along with independent Senator Joe Lieberman, McCain proposed the Climate Economy Act of 2003, which failed. In all the interviews he gave on the subject, McCain said that the law was essential and that it was the first attempt to unite forces for the first time in the Senate in order to do something and not just talk about the greatest environmental crisis the human race was facing.

In 2007 he tried again to pass the law, with cross-party cooperation. McCain and Lieberman wrote about the law in February 2007 that it Seeks to harness the power of the free market and the engine of American innovation to reduce carbon emissions Continuously and quickly to thwart the global warming disaster.

In a speech in March 2008, McCain called for the construction of a follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Treaty and to include within it trade quotas that would provide the necessary environmental impact in an economically responsible way." Small businesses will receive an exemption under the quota. McCain also promotes the issuance of emission permits in tenders to help finance development ranging from carbon capture and storage systems, through nuclear power to the development of batteries."

McCain's policy includes target dates for reducing emissions. By 2012 to return to the level of emissions of 2005, by the year 2050 to reach a level of 60% of that of 1990." We know that greenhouse gas emissions, which cause heat to remain in the atmosphere, threaten catastrophic climate change. The same fossil fuel that supplies energy to the engines of the economy, also produces greenhouse gases that leave the heat and threaten global climate change. No challenge in the field of energy should be taken lightly, least of all, the need to avoid the consequences of global warming. The fact of the existence of global warming demands our immediate attention, especially in Washington. Home economics and better intelligence, and common sense demand that we act to meet the challenges and act quickly."

"To dramatically reduce carbon emissions, I will introduce a cap and trade system that over time will change the dynamics of our energy economy. By 2012, we will try to return to the level of emissions of 2005. By 2020, we will return to that of 1990 and so we will continue until we achieve at least a 60% reduction below the level of emissions of 1990 in 2050. Through these actions we will move to a future of low carbon consumption, and promote the technological innovation that preserves We are on the path of economic growth."

"The goal of this approach is to give American business people new incentives and rewards to look for ways to lower the costs of reducing emissions, instead of just imposing new taxes and funding regulations that follow. This approach will give people time to adjust, instead of causing a jump in electricity bills and a potential shutdown of coal-fired power plants."

"I have supported the CAFE standard for a long time - which outlines a minimum mileage per gallon (kilometers per liter in our language), which car manufacturers must meet. Some manufacturers ignore these facilities, pay a small fine and add it to the price of the car. I believe that the fines for not meeting these standards must be effective enough to make car manufacturers promote and develop fuel efficient cars. I will increase the fines for anyone who improved the CAFE standard, and will ensure that they will be effectively enforced."

"To accelerate research efforts, the government must do more to open new paths of innovation and sophistication. The McCain administration established a permanent system of tax credits worth ten percent of the salary as an expenditure on R&D, to open the door to a new generation of environmental entrepreneurs. I am also committed to investing $15 billion each year for the next 5,000 years on clean coal technologies to unlock the potential of America's oldest and most abundant resource. And we will also open up challenges for car manufacturers in the field of clean cars in the form of tax credits for the American public, for any car manufacturer that can sell cars that do not emit. We will assign a credit of up to $XNUMX to each customer who purchases these cars. As for the search for alternatives to oil, the administration has so far thrown a lot of money at subsidizing stakeholders and failures and excuses. From now on, we will encourage great efforts in engineering, and we will reward successes."

"Another proposal that will accelerate the entrepreneurship of the American people is to initiate a reward of 300 million dollars to whoever develops a battery pack that will have the size, capacity, cost and power to provide a leap forward compared to today's hybrid and electric cars. This is a total of one dollar from every man, woman and child in the United States, a small price to pay to help us break our dependence on oil - and help deal with the dangerous effects of climate change."

"I will continue to support the US Climate Change Research Program and ensure that the program's activities support our nation's need for climate information to help us prepare for the future."

Obama: Global warming is a man-made disaster

Barack Obama sees climate change as the apocalyptic man-made threat to the planet. He wants to lead an international coalition that will work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This while ensuring balanced laws and policies necessary for healthy economic growth while protecting the environment.

Obama is going to establish an emissions trading system to reduce them. He also said that if elected he would invest $150 billion in the next ten years in clean energy technologies. He also said he would double investment in the oil economy over 18 years by providing tax credits and loans to auto and parts manufacturers to build more fuel-efficient cars.

Obama also supported the Climate Economy Act of 2007 that created the credit system for companies to manage carbon emissions trading. The law has not yet passed. Together with Hillary Clinton, Obama also signed a law to reduce pollution.

Barack Obama: "There is no longer any doubt that human activity affects the global climate and that we must respond quickly and efficiently. First, the US must get off the fence and take long-term action here at home to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We must also take a leadership role in designing technologies that will allow us to experience growth and a booming economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. With the right incentives, I am convinced that American integrity can do this, and in the process make American assets more productive. , which will create jobs and make America's buildings and cars safe and attractive. This is a global problem. The leadership of the USA is essential, although solutions will require the contribution of all parts of the world - especially the other major emitters of greenhouse gases in the world: China, Europe and India."

"In particular, I will implement a carbon trading system that will make it possible to reduce carbon emissions to the amount that scientists consider essential - 80% below 1990 levels by the year 2050. I will reduce emissions immediately by setting strict annual reduction targets, and my interim goal is to reach the 1990 level by the year 2020 The trade plan will make it possible to utilize market forces to reduce emissions in an efficient and flexible way. I will demand that all emission rights be auctioned."

"I will restore US leadership in strategies designed to fight climate change and work closely with the international community. We will renew our commitment to the United Nations Framework Commission on Climate Change, the main international forum designed to address the problem of climate change. In addition, I will create a global energy forum based on the G8 plus five countries: Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa - with the aim of uniting the largest energy consumers in the Western world and developing countries. This forum will focus specifically on global issues related to energy and the environment. I will create a technology transfer program that will enable the export of environmentally friendly technologies, including green buildings, clean coal and advanced cars to developing countries and help them fight climate change."

Biden: already tried to legislate during the Bush era

Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, has always been among those calling for legislation to stop climate change. In February 2007, after the publication of the IPCC report, Biden urged his fellow lawmakers and President Bush to take action, saying, "We have wasted the last six years standing on the sidelines in global negotiations, and our leadership must produce a global solution."

Biden also submitted to Congress a bill to establish an international fund for the development of clean technology, to help developing countries fight climate change, before a vote was held. Biden was also a partner in the 2005 clean energy bill, which, if passed, would have allowed the establishment of a system of emission quotas.

Together with the Republican Senator from Indiana Richard Logaker, Biden promoted two bills to promote the treatment of global warming, in one of them, Senate proposal number 30 He called on the US to comply with the terms of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to establish a bipartisan committee in the Senate to monitor the global negotiations in the field of climate change.