Posted on 01/10/2008 8:29:51 AM PST by TornadoAlley3
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 10 (OneWorld) - Coastal residents and students from all over South Carolina are planning to picket this evening's Republican Party Presidential Candidates Debate.
"We just want to emphasize how important the issue of climate change is to the future of South Carolina," said Gretta Kruesi of the state's Coastal Conservation League. "Climate change will affect the strength and number of hurricanes, beach erosion, and tourism, which is the backbone of our economy. We want to make sure the candidates address this issue and invite them to respond."
Sporting surfwear and bathing suits, attendees plan to hold aquamarine balloons floating at 20 feet above sea level, to emphasize what scientists say will happen if the ice sheet covering Greenland were to completely melt.
Observers say that with over 3,000 miles of tidal shoreline and an economy that depends heavily on tourism and agriculture, South Carolina is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
According to a January 2007 poll conducted for the group Environmental Defense, 81 percent of South Carolina's Republican voters believe the United States should reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
South Carolina's Republican Governor Mark Sanford has commissioned a committee to create a climate action plan for the state. During the last legislative session, 90 House and 24 Senate members -- split evenly between Republicans and Democrats -- signed an open letter calling for presidential leadership on climate change.
In November, 108 of South Carolina's mayors, including Rock Hill Mayor Doug Echols, Union Mayor Bruce Morgan, and Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, signed a separate letter also calling on presidential candidates to speak out on climate change.
"As you visit the towns and cities where we make our homes, and talk to the constituents we serve, we urge you to make solving climate change a top priority in your conversations with South Carolina voters," the letter read. "We also hope you will share your ideas about the unique opportunities available in developing clean energy technologies, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, stimulating billions of dollars in new investments, and creating millions of new jobs."
"Since solving global climate change will establish a healthier, more efficient, and more secure nation, we expect candidates from all parties to outline clear plans for addressing this issue," they concluded.
"I don't know what proportion of the [climate's] change is due to human activity but my policy is to adopt what I refer to as a 'no regrets policy'." - Mitt Romney None of the Republican candidates have specifically spoken out on global climate change as it relates to South Carolina, but most of the candidates have raised the issue at some point during the campaign.
Among Republicans, Arizona Senator John McCain has been one of the most outspoken members of Congress on the issue.
With Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), McCain introduced the Climate Stewardship Act in 2003, which failed to gain approval from the Senate. In 2007 he reintroduced the act, with bipartisan cosponsorship.
The bill, McCain and Lieberman explained in a February 2007 Boston Globe editorial, "would harness the power of the free market and the engine of American innovation to reduce the nation's greenhouse gas emissions substantially enough and quickly enough to forestall catastrophic global warming."
If elected, McCain says he would support a mandatory cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions, advocate a global effort that would include developing countries to reduce greenhouse gases, limit carbon emissions by harnessing market forces that will bring advanced technologies to the market faster, and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers of energy. McCain considers nuclear energy a key component of efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.
The man who finished second to McCain in the New Hampshire Republican primary, Mitt Romney has been less aggressive on the climate change issue. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney backed his state out of a regional pact of northeastern states to curb carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, citing concerns that the emissions fee would drive up the already-high price of electricity.
On the campaign trail, Romney has hedged when asked about global warming: "I don't know what proportion of the [climate's] change is due to human activity but my policy is to adopt what I refer to as a 'no regrets policy' -- to take action that allows us to become more energy efficient and ultimately become energy independent as a nation," he told a forum of business leaders in Rochester, New Hampshire last May.
"I would like to see us work on a global basis on this effort," Romney added. "I really don't think it's productive for us to act solely on a unilateral basis to reduce our greenhouse gases if we have developing nations like China and India continue to increase their output of greenhouse gases and not be party to a greenhouse gas effort," he said, echoing Bush administration arguments for removing the United States from the Kyoto Protocol.
The winner of the Iowa Caucuses, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, has rooted his stance on climate change in his religious beliefs.
When asked about his opinion on climate change in a March 2007 interview with Newsweek, Huckabee said, "It's a spiritual issue. [The Earth] belongs to God. I have no right to destroy it."
At a November climate change demonstration in neighboring North Carolina. © Step It Up 2007 (flickr) In a later interview with the Denver Post, Huckabee got more specific: "We ought to be moving rapidly towards energy sources that don't have a greenhouse gas effect. Aggressively set the goal that within a 10-year period we should move away from a fossil fuel culture to one that has alternative energy resources."
Huckabee also says he supports a mandatory cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas emissions and he supports drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
For Charleston lawyer and climate change activist Art Bomley, Huckabee's support for changing policy is particularly good news.
"What he's talking about is reflective of a large movement in the evangelical network of environmental concerns," Bomley told OneWorld. "There's been a call from the evangelical and environmental network to politicians in general to deal with this issue. So we're seeing a groundswell and we're also seeing a response."
"I'm encouraged because all over the map we're seeing a huge shift," he added. "We're seeing this dealt with on a local level, the state level; and at the federal level we're seeing some very serious bills in the halls of Congress. So I think the next president of the United States is going to have to deal with this issue in a serious and comprehensive manner."
Tonight's Republican debate will be held in Myrtle Beach and broadcast nationally on Fox News.
South Carolina activists plan a similar event in front of the state's Democratic presidential debate, which is scheduled to be held in Myrtle Beach on January 21.
Idiocy
Good grief !
Freaking idiots must have missed the memo that that 20 foot rise was complete and utter BS in spades.
A big collection of idiots and their global warming scam,
When asked about his opinion on climate change in a March 2007 interview with Newsweek, Huckabee said, “It’s a spiritual issue. [The Earth] belongs to God. I have no right to destroy it.”
The GOP should paint the sidewalk red to represent what would happen to American streets if the jihadists get their way...
Who knew that 80% of South Carlinians are imbeciles? Is SC 80% dhimmocrat?
Never have so many been deluded! It’s stunning to see how many normally rational, thinking people have fallen for this huge fraud.
I believe man cannot affect global climate/weather patterns. In fact, the last 6 or so years have not shown an increase in temperature. I predict 2008 will show global temps the likes of which hasn’t been seen for 20+ years. And 2009 will be cooler still.
You heard it here first and I will bet on it.
Misleading headline...not all South Carolinians are tree huggers.
OMG, I hadn’t heard this!
“According to a January 2007 poll conducted for the group Environmental Defense, 81 percent of South Carolina’s Republican voters believe the United States should reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”
And of course there is no bias in the poll, right? Much the same way left says every contradictory argument against GW is funded by the oil companies?
Notice how it’s no longer “global warming”, now it’s “climate change”.
Hey idiots, you know what humans can do about climate change? Absolutely nothing. The Earth has always had climate change, even before we arrogant humans were walking the planet.
Part of Mclame’s campaign team.
Rudolph Giuliani
Giuliani has said he believes climate change exists (SFChron) and that something must be done to reduce pollution. However, he has not said outright that he believes climate change is caused by human activity . His statements with regard to policy on the issue have been rather vague.
Mike Huckabee
When asked about his opinion on climate change in a March 2007 interview with Newsweek, Huckabee said, “It’s a spiritual issue. [The earth] belongs to God. I have no right to destroy it.” In another interview, Huckabee got more specific, saying, “We ought to be moving rapidly towards energy sources that don’t have a greenhouse gas effect. Aggressively set the goal that within a ten-year period, we should move a way from a fossil fuel culture to one that has alternative energy resources” (Denver Post).
Huckabee also says he supports a mandatory cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas emissions (Bloomberg).
John McCain
Sen. McCain (R-AZ) has been one of the most outspoken members of Congress on the issue of climate change. With Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), McCain introduced the Climate Stewardship Act in 2003, which failed. Still, climate change expert Bill McKibben said this act was crucial (OnEarth Magazine) in that McCain “managed to force the first real Senate vote on actually doing something about the largest environmental peril our species has yet faced.” In 2007 he reintroduced the act, with bipartisan cosponsorship. The bill, McCain and Lieberman wrote in a February 2007 editorial, “would harness the power of the free market and the engine of American innovation to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions substantially enough and quickly enough to forestall catastrophic global warming.” (BosGlobe)
Mitt Romney
Until recently, Romney largely avoided stating his opinion as to whether or not climate change exists or is caused by humans, according to a 2004 Boston Globe article. Since beginning his presidential campaign, however, Romney has been more willing to concede that “climate change is occurring” and that human activity is a contributing factor.
As Massachusetts governor, Romney introduced his Climate Protection Plan in 2004, which “encourages private citizens and requires state agencies and the state’s large businesses to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.” As governor, he also refused (BosGlobe) to enter with other northeastern states into a pact, known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to curb carbon emissions because it did not provide for price controls to curb energy costs.
Fred Thompson
Thompson is a climate change skeptic. Although he does not appear to believe evidence that climate change is caused by human activity, he concedes, “it makes sense to take reasonable steps to reduce CO2 emissions without harming our economy.” Though he has not indicated any specific environmental policy views, he says he supports “research and development into technologies that improve the environment, especially the reduction of CO2 emissions.”
In a March 2007 National Review commentary, Thompson pointed to evidence that Mars and Jupiter are also experiencing warming. “This has led some people, not necessarily scientists, to wonder if Mars and Jupiter, non-signatories to the Kyoto Treaty, are actually inhabited by alien SUV-driving industrialists who run their air-conditioning at 60 degrees and refuse to recycle,” he noted sarcastically.
-—> May as well look at them all. Well, the sources did not list Hunter, but I believe his stand mirrors Thompson’s. It is just harder to find as he faces a worse blackout than any of the candidates.
Observers say that with over 3,000 miles of tidal shoreline and an economy that depends heavily on tourism and agriculture, South Carolina is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
SC would be vulnerable to giant man eating lobsters too. Fortunately, they don’t exist either.
This thread needed a “(barf alert)” in the title, for complete posting correctness.
I will grant you that it was pretty much a “given”, given the title.
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