The Presidential Debate Series-A Climate Change Question for the Second Presidential Debate
President Obama and Governor Romney at the first Presidential Debate in Denver. Credit to Gwydion M. Williams. http://www.flickr.com/photos/45909111@N00/8059662472/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Tomorrow night, President Barack Obama and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will engage in their second round of Presidential debates in a town-hall style format on the Hofstra University campus on Long Island, New York. The second debate will focus on a variety of domestic and foreign issues of concern to undecided voters, including, we here at ASP hope, questions on climate change. With questions on the economy taking up the majority of the first Presidential debate clock, moderator Candy Crowley should force the candidates to face at least one tough question on climate change; an issue with both domestic and foreign dimensions. The campaigns thus far have lacked a substantive discussion of climate policy, but tomorrow’s debate is an opportunity for each candidate to offer their vision for America’s role in this important issue.
An undecided voter at tomorrow’s town-hall debate should ask the candidates the following question:
According to a recent study by Breakthrough Strategies & Solutions, three out of four Americans now acknowledge climate disruption is real, and more than two out of three believe we should be doing something about it. Four years ago both the Democratic and Republican parties nominated a presidential candidate who promised to address the climate crisis with mandatory caps on carbon pollution, but this election year each campaign has appeared reluctant to address the issue. The following question allows each of you the opportunity to address those concerns: If elected President, how would your administration help to educate the public on the local and economic effects of climate change, as well as its well-known global consequences?
We won’t go into details about what we believe the candidates’ answers will or should be, but we do think this is an important issue to be discussed.
ASP believes that climate change, if not addressed by mankind, will have devastating consequences both here in the United States and abroad. It is therefore the responsibility of the U.S. government to educate its public about the consequences of climate change and to do so in a manner that tailors the discussion to specific geographic regions. ASP has for example provided a state-by-state breakdown of the economic costs of climate change, as well as a variety of materials detailing the consequences of climate change that affect the entire world.
Regardless of who wins the election, a lack of political consensus and foresight is holding back efforts to strategically prepare for the long-term effects of climate change. Managing risk, mitigating damage and reducing emissions in order to prevent extreme warming in the next generations must be the focus of the next administration.
Indeed, as a recent poll by Yale and George Mason Universities suggests, a strong stance on climate change could greatly sway undecided voters. We here at ASP hope both candidates will use tomorrow night’s debate to clarify how their administration would address the subject of climate change.
