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Dear
EarthTalk: Where do the leading presidential
candidates stand on the issue of climate change and other
environmental issues?
-- Max S., Seattle, WA
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All
of the 2008 Democratic presidential candidates support
reducing CO2 emissions upwards of 80 percent by 2050.
Major Republican contenders have barely articulated
positions on the issue of global warming, with most
favoring expanding our base of greenhouse gas-spewing
coal-fired power plants. Pictured here: Top, left
to right: Democratic candidates Barack Obama, John
Edwards and Hillary Clinton; Bottom, left to right:
Republican contenders Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.
© Flickr
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The
outcome of the 2008 presidential election could very well
have a big impact on a wide range of environmental issues,
especially climate change.
All
of the Democratic candidates—Hillary Clinton, Barack
Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Dennis Kucinich—support
reducing carbon dioxide emissions nationally upwards of
80 percent by 2050 in order to stave off global warming.
Likewise, each would like to see fuel efficiency standards
for cars and light trucks raised to at least 40 miles per
gallon within the next few decades. Meanwhile, only one
of the major Republican contenders, John McCain, has even
articulated a position on the issue of global warming, with
most favoring expanding our base of greenhouse gas-spewing
coal-fired power plants.
As
for specific track records, Clinton has an impressive record
of introducing pro-environment legislation into Congress,
and for her time in the Senate scores a 90 (out of 100)
on green voting from the nonprofit, non-partisan League
of Conservation Voters (LCV). Obama is newer to the politics
of the environment, but scored a 96 for his two years in
the Senate from LCV, and has garnered kudos from environmental
leaders for the aggressive climate and energy plan he unveiled
in October 2007.
Ohio
Congressman Dennis Kucinich wants to launch a Works Green
Administration similar to the Works Progress Administration
of the Great Depression, only this time to benefit the environment
through the development of alternative energy technologies
and infrastructures. Bill Richardson, who served as Secretary
of Energy under Bill Clinton and more recently as governor
of New Mexico, wants to be the “energy president,”
and has an 82 lifetime rating from LCV to back it up. He
has proposed the most ambitious carbon reduction plan of
any of the candidates (90 percent by 2050). John Edwards
was the first candidate to make his campaign carbon neutral
in March 2007, and greens consider him perhaps the most
progressive of all the Democrats on the climate issue.
On
the Republican side, the environmental bright spots are
few and far between. McCain is really the only choice with
any declared concern for the environment. In 2003 he co-sponsored
the first Senate bill aimed at mandatory economy-wide reductions.
While the bill didn’t garner enough votes to pass,
it set the stage for future iterations that could put the
U.S. on par with European nations as leaders in the fight
to cut carbon emissions. McCain is also the only Republican
candidate specifically opposed to drilling for oil in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Mike
Huckabee scores some points with greens for his willingness
to consider a specific increase in automotive fuel efficiency
standards and for his (limited) embrace of alternative energy.
Mitt Romney is willing to consider a cap on emissions, but
only if enacted on a global basis (including China and India,
that is). The remaining Republicans (Rudy Giuliani, Fred
Thompson and Ron Paul) have best been non-committal on climate
change and environmental issues in general.
CONTACT:
For more detailed information on specific candidates’
positions and track records on environmental issues, check
out the League
of Conservation Voters’ Voter Guide.
Dear
EarthTalk: Most of us know how to recycle paper,
plastic and glass, but how do we find out about recycling
the many other items we use that eventually break or die
out, such as light bulbs, disposable batteries, portable
electronics, and so on?
-- Elizabeth Lauer, via e-mail
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Don't
leave it on the sidewalk! A number of resources are
now available to help consumers recycle everything
from electronics to fluorescent light bulbs to disposable
batteries. It's not just paper, plastic and glass
anymore.
© Wikipedia
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It’s true
that recycling items other than paper, plastic and glass
is still no easy task. But if you’re committed to
unloading something without adding it to a landfill, a little
research can go a long way. Fortunately there are some great
resources out there to help.
One of the best
is a May 2006 article published in E – The Environmental
Magazine by Sally Deneen entitled “How to Recycle
Practically Anything.” Besides debunking myths about
the ineffectiveness of municipal recycling programs, Deneen
outlines where and how to recycle dozens of different types
of household items not typically picked up by the recycling
truck at your curbside.
Regarding compact
fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)—which shouldn’t
be thrown in the trash as they contain trace amounts of
the toxic heavy metal mercury—Deneen recommends first
checking with your local household hazardous waste disposal
facility to see if they will take them for recycling. If
not, many hardware stores will take back spent CFLs. If
none of these options pans out, a free online listing of
companies that recycle CFLs can be found at the lampecycle.org
website.
As for disposable
batteries, Deneen says they, too, can usually be dropped
off at municipal hazardous waste facilities, where they
will be disassembled and their parts recycled for use in
other products. If such facilities in your area won’t
take them, some local or national retailers (such as Walgreen’s
in some areas and Batteries Plus nationwide) may—just
call and ask. Another option is to pay for the privilege
by sending them to Battery Solutions, a mail-order company
that will recycle them for 85 cents per pound.
Another common
question is how to recycle (or at least responsibly dispose
of) portable electronics—cell phones, video games,
MP3 players, etc.—given that they usually contain
heavy metals and chemicals that can pollute soils and groundwater.
Deneen recommends dropping them off at your local Staples,
Office Depot or Radio Shack store, which should take them
back free of charge even if you didn’t buy them there.
Another option would be shipping the worn out items to CollectiveGood
(4508 Bibb Boulevard, Tucker, GA 30084), which will recycle
them and donate the proceeds to the charity of your choice.
If you’re
stumped about how or where to recycle an item, check out
the Earth911.org website. It offers a free keyword-searchable,
zip code-based database of municipal and commercial recycling
and hazardous waste disposal facilities across the United
States. The frequently updated database, which is funded
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as state
governments and several non-profits, can also direct you
to the proper municipal facility or local business to off-load
potentially toxic items, like old tires or unused paint,
in a safe and responsible manner. If you don’t have
handy Internet access, give Earth911’s toll-free telephone
hotline a call at 1-800-CLEANUP.
CONTACTS:
“How
to Recycle Practically Anything”; LampRecycle.org;
Battery
Solutions; CollectiveGood;
Earth911.org.
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