Greening the Presidential Campaign

Environmental issues came up on the presidential campaign today, according to this AP article:

JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama said Wednesday that as president he would spend $210 billion to create jobs in construction and environmental industries, as he tried to win over economically struggling voters.
Obama's investment would be over 10 years as part of two programs. The larger is $150 billion to create 5 million so-called "green collar" jobs to develop more environmentally friendly energy sources.
Sixty-billion dollars would go to a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to rebuild highways, bridges, airports and other public projects. Obama estimated that could generate nearly 2 million jobs, many of them in the construction industry that's been hit by the housing crisis.
Obama explained that the money for his proposals will come from ending the Iraq war, cutting tax breaks for corporations, taxing carbon pollution and raising taxes on high-income earners.
Neera Tanden, Hillary Rodham Clinton's policy director, said Obama was offering ideas Clinton proposed months ago. "Voters may ask themselves that if Senator Obama cannot produce his own ideas on the campaign trail, how will he solve new problems as president?" Tanden said in a memo e-mailed to reporters.

Interfaith Power and Light is a religious response to global warming with chapters in 25 states and Greater Washington, D.C. Find a link to your local chapter at http://www.theregenerationproject.org/State.Find discounts on energy saving products at http://www.shopipl.org/

Time on Climate Change

Time Magazine has a long piece on how to combat climate change. Check out their ambitious "51 Ways to Save the Environment."
IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Power and Light. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

People Desire Cheap Climate Fixes: New British Columbia Poll

In a new poll conducted in British Columbia, an overwhelming majority said they believe climate change is a major threat, but 50% were not willing to pay even as little as $100 in taxes or other expenses to counter the threat. (I'm assuming this is $100/Canadian, even less than $100/US.)

Read the full article in the Vancouver Sun.

IREJN is Connecticut's Interfaith Light and Power. Visit us at www.irejn.org.

The High Cost of Global Warming

Check out this excerpt from a New York Times article:

James E. Rogers, chief executive of Duke Energy, a coal-burning utility in the Midwest and the Southeast, has emerged as an unexpected advocate of federal regulation that would for the first time impose a cost for emitting carbon dioxide. But he has his reasons.

“Climate change is real, and we clearly believe we are on a route to mandatory controls on carbon dioxide,” Mr. Rogers said. “And we need to start now because the longer we wait, the more difficult and expensive this is going to be.”