Climate and Energy

Hillary Rodham Clinton (Democrat)

Clinton plans to increase energy and climate research and development (R&D) funding. She also supports a cap-and-trade approach to climate change mitigation; proposes to cut greenhouse gas emissions; reduce electricity consumption; increase fuel efficiency standards; create a "National Energy Council" within the White House; and require federal buildings designed in 2009 to be zero emissions buildings.

John Edwards (Democrat)

Edwards's climate and energy plan lays out strategies to meet three main goals: reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, transform energy use and create a New Energy Economy, and freeze the demand for electricity with efficiency for the next decade.

Mike Gravel (Democrat)

Gravel would invest in liquid hydrogen technologies, support the end of coal-powered electricity production, initiate an international scientific effort to end energy dependence on oil, and support stricter automotive fuel-economy regulation.

Rudy Giuliani (Republican)

Giuliani seeks to encourage the use of diverse energy sources and set up a system to track and measure energy use.

Mike Huckabee (Republican)

Huckabee pledges that his first action as President would be to send Congress his plan for energy independence. The plan would involve federal spending on energy R&D and encouraging the use of biofuels and alternative energy sources.

Duncan Hunter (Republican)

In response to a question on a chat by The Washington Post, Hunter responded:

"Beyond the development of the energy spectrum, the energy independence challenge provides an opportunity for the private sector to join with America's colleges and universities and government research and development laboratories to produce a collaboration with respect to innovative new energy systems, which could result in America's domination of the alternative energy market.... This new industry could provide enormous opportunity for the next generation."

Dennis Kucinich (Democrat)

Kucinich has stated that as president he would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the climate while reversing unsustainable actions in five key areas: (a) energy consumption, (b) economic and tax policy, (c) land and water use, (d) environmental policy, and (e) military spending. His plans include signing the Kyoto Protocol and doubling U.S. renewable energy resources by 2010. Kucinich's environmental agenda centers around a "Works Green Administration" which would create jobs through environmental initiatives. He has also made providing clean, affordable and accessible drinking water a priority.

John McCain (Republican)

McCain has been a champion in Congress for years on action to address global warming, drafting the first Senate bill calling for mandatory cuts in carbon dioxide emissions. He supports a market-based approach that would set caps on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and provide industries with tradable credits. McCain supports the use of nuclear power. Though he supports increased use of biofuels, he opposes subsidies for ethanol.

Barack Obama (Democrat)

Obama has said that he will double basic science and research investment in clean energies and energy efficiency. He also plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions to reduce the effects of climate change through a market-based cap-and-trade system. He proposes to increase fuel economy standards, invest in biofuels, and increase the Renewable Fuel Standard. Obama also proposes that the U.S. re-establish international negotiation of climate change agreements.

Ron Paul (Republican)

Paul sees a free market as a means to curb pollution and has pushed to curtail government spending and tax subsidies he sees as harmful to the environment. He supports tax credits that encourage the use of alternative energy sources.

Bill Richardson (Democrat)

Richardson has proposed a climate and energy program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 90 percent by 2050, create a renewable portfolio standard of 50 percent by 2040, return to international negotiations, and reduce oil imports. On the environment, he supports efforts to revive the Clean Air Act, Toxics Release Inventory, and Endangered Species Act.

Mitt Romney (Republican)

Romney has made American energy independence a major campaign issue. His plan includes investing in research, increasing the focus on energy security, promoting nuclear technology, and increasing domestic production. He has stated that he will "dramatically increase federal spending on research, development, and demonstration projects that hold promise for diversifying our energy supply and increasing our energy efficiency." Romney advocates opening the Artic National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling in order to provide more domestic sources of oil. He does not support international emissions mandates like those of the Kyoto Protocol because he argues that they would be a detriment to the American economy and would "shift manufacturing to the dirtiest developing nations."

Fred Thompson (Republican)

Thompson has in the past been skeptical of scientific evidence on global warming, but has recently suggested that while "we don't know for certain how or why climate change is occurring," it is reasonable to take steps to reduce CO₂ emissions as long as those steps do not harm the American economy. Thompson has stated his energy policy would invest in future advanced technologies and place more emphasis on conservation and energy efficiency, in addition to conducting research and development in technologies that improve the environment. He aims to increase domestic fuel supplies, reduce demand for oil and gas, and promote alternative fuels and other diverse energy sources.