WASHINGTON, May 22 (UPI) -- Shifting attitudes, scientific evidence, green business and bipartisan support driving the climate change debate will culminate in the 2008 U.S. elections.
Several of the leading presidential hopefuls have energy policy as one of their top issues. Policy directors for Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., John McCain, R-Ariz., and John Edwards, D-N.C., spoke for their candidates at the Brookings Institution Tuesday.
The policy directors spoke to the idea that climate change is a real economic, national security and environmental threat that energy policy needs to address through efficiency, renewables and some sort of price on greenhouse gases.
While those main points were agreed upon by the bipartisan panel, plans for how to achieve those goals varied and details will offer distinction among the candidates.
"We don't want to solve the energy security issue while creating an environmental one," said Todd Stern, Clinton's policy adviser.
All four of the candidates' representatives also reached a consensus that leadership from the White House is necessary.
"Failure of the United States to act is causing the lack of action from other countries," said David Sandalow, Brookings energy and environment scholar.
