Sep 16 2008
McCain Vs. Obama on Global Warming
In a side-by-side comparison of policy plans, Sen. Obama says “There can no longer be any doubt that human activities are influencing the global climate and we must react quickly and effectively.” Sen. McCain, for his part, says “We know that greenhouse gas emissions, by retaining heat within the atmosphere, threaten disastrous changes in the climate.” The main difference is the gradations in their cap-and-trade plans, and McCain’s proposed $300 million reward for the inventor of “a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.”
The McCain plan to incentivize people to come up with a solution at least recognizes the power of the carrot as well as the stick. He’s not really far out there on the global warming issue as this blog sometimes makes out.
What conservative leader said this?
“It is mankind and his activities that are chaning our climate in damaging and dangerous ways.”
Kirstie,
Thanks for your comment! You make a fair point (citing Margaret Thatcher is a sure way to win over your conservative readership), though Europeans in general are more given to believing in global warming and to government-related solutions.
Whether McCain is far outside of the general view of the issue is separate from pointing out that his proposed solution, a cap-and-trade plan, is indeed far outside the mainstream of economists who believe its lack of transparency and accountability will end up as a slush fund for politicians while providing little help to the environment.
ok um what’s up with the whole carrot and the stick thing?