Poll: Which Candidate is the Greenest?
All three presidential nominees for the upcoming 2008 US elections are promising that they can end America’s addition to oil through the research and development of green energy technologies. They claim that developing alternative energies will create jobs and turn the economy around, while helping to stop global warming and the national security issues caused by dependence on foreign oil imports. While their platforms sound appealing, politicians often say what we want to hear in order to get votes… so who do you trust is most likely to follow through on these promises? Are their claims even realistic? We gathered a few YouTube clips of each candidate speaking on the topic. Scroll down to cast your vote and leave your comments.
Barack Obama
YouTube: Barack Obama on Energy | More Videos
Barack Obama believes we can have an energy policy that makes sense and addresses global warming while creating a clean atmosphere and jobs. He supports tax credits to spur investment in renewable energies like wind energy, and he believes that we should look to the future and the spirit of American ingenuity. He would invest $150 billion over the next ten years into green energy sector, to help manufacturer convert to green technologies and train workers for 5 million new jobs that could would not be outsourced. These would include building solar panels and wind turbines, and creating alternative fuels. He also believes that American auto makers need to convert to green technologies, and that by changing fuel efficiency standards to at least 40mpg America could save the equivalent of all Persian Gulf oil imports. Read his energy plan here.
Hillary Clinton
YouTube: Hillary Clinton on Energy | More Videos
Hillary Clinton has a similar platform to Obama. She also believes the best way to create millions of new good jobs is through a new energy policy that focuses on clean renewable energy. She says America needs homegrown energy so that we don’t have borrow money from Chinese to buy oil from the Saudi’s, which would put us in a better position for national security and to help with global climate change. Read her energy plan here.
John McCain
YouTube: John McCain on Energy | More Videos
John McCain also believes that we can end our dependence on foreign oil by producing energy in America, but it’s clear he favors nuclear power as safe and clean energy solution. He says the French use nuclear power for 80% of their energy needs, and that “it’s not a technological problem, it’s psychological. we should find ways to store or re-process nuclear waste”. He wants to see the free market work to produce more green technologies, and uses GE’s green technology program as an example of how he wants the government to approach the issue. Read his climate change plan here.
