Senator John Edwards (D)

Global Warming and Energy

Mandatory Emission Caps [click here to read question five]

“Yes. The planet has gotten nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit hotter over the past 30 years and will get another degree hotter due to greenhouse gas pollution already in the atmosphere. The ten hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990. If we don't change course soon, we will see dramatic climate changes and a different planet. The last time the Earth was 4 or 5 degrees warmer -- 3 million years ago -- there was no ice in the Arctic and sea levels were 80 feet higher. Earlier this year, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- an international network of over 2,000 climate scientists -- concluded that evidence of global warming is "unequivocal" and human activity is "very likely" the cause. According to the panel without changes, within decades climate change could cause hundreds of millions of people to suffer water shortages and tens of millions to be flooded out of their homes annually. By 2080, hundreds of millions could starve.

I will set an economy-wide limit on the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. I will build on the precedent of the Clean Air Act of 1990 – which limited pollution causing acid rain through a sulfur dioxide cap-and-trade system – to reduce pollution in a cost-effective and flexible manner. I will cap greenhouse gases at levels that the latest climate science has determined to be necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. I will cap greenhouse pollution. I support reductions of 20 percent by 2020, and reduce it by at least 80 percent by 2050.”

International Action on Global Warming [click here to read question six]

"Climate change is an international problem. The U.S. could never solve it alone and it should not try. We need to require global participation, promote shared responsibility, and let American workers and businesses compete on a level playing field. We have a responsibility to lead the world toward a new climate change treaty that builds on the Kyoto Protocol. The first step is to make our own commitment to address global warming. The U.S. is one of only three developed nations that has refused to limit its greenhouse gas pollution.

Second, to bring developing countries to the table, we should share America's clean energy technology in exchange for binding greenhouse reduction commitments. If necessary, I will insist that strong labor and environmental standards in our trade deals include commitments on climate change. It is encouraging that President Bush has finally recognized the danger of greenhouse gases. However, his voluntary approach to addressing this crisis is clearly insufficient. We need binding targets that demand immediate progress."

Fuel Efficiency Standards [click here to read question seven]

"We need to move to an economy that is less dependent on oil. American cars and trucks are less efficient than they were two decades ago. Standards in China, Japan, and the European Union are between 40 and 100 percent higher. I will raise standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2016, a step that could single-handedly reduce oil demand by 4 million barrels per day.

Beyond increasing standards, we must invest far more in developing more fuel-efficient technologies. I have proposed a New Energy Economy Fund that would invest $1 billion a year in helping U.S. automakers advance and apply the latest efficiency technology, including biofuels, hybrid and electric cars, hydrogen fuel cells, ultra-light materials, and drive train improvements. With a strong ethanol industry that includes cellulosic ethanol and hybrid and electric technology, American cars and trucks can be virtually petroleum-free within a generation. And we need to encourage mass transit and increase incentives for carpooling."

Renewable Energy Standards [click here to read question eight]

"We have no choice but to greatly increase our use of clean, renewable sources of energy. I will require power companies to generate 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. A large expansion of renewable energy can reduce costs under current trends. Wind is already competitive with conventional sources in many markets. Solar could be competitive within three to eight years.

I will also double the Department of Energy research budget, allowing it to reduce the cost and accelerate the marketability of current technologies to put clean solar, wind, and biomass into more communities. I will also encourage private investment by making permanent tax credits for the production of renewable energy; they currently expire at the end of 2008."

Efficiency Standards [click here to read question nine]

"I have a plan to meet the demand for more electricity in the next decade through efficiency, instead of producing more power. Americans can get more power out of the electricity now available, typically at half the cost of producing more supply. There are large energy savings possible today in energy generation, transmission, and use in homes, factories, and offices. I have called for a national goal of meeting our expected rise in electricity demand by getting more power out of the electricity we use now for the next decade.

To accomplish this ambitious goal, we need to make efficiency profitable for utilities. Most utilities profit from selling electricity, even when it would be cheaper to help their customers use less energy. As president, I will call on states to decouple utilities' energy profits from sales, as California and nine other states have done, so they can focus on serving customer needs. States can also reward utilities for meeting green energy targets.

I support expanding smart meters and smart grids to help consumers use energy more wisely. By displaying energy use and its price as it is used, smart meters encourage consumers to use less energy and to use it when it can be generated less expensively. Utilities can also use information technology to monitor electricity demand, allowing them to plan their production more efficiently.

I will reverse the Bush budget cuts to the weatherization program and instead expand it to $500 million a year. I will call on states to create updated energy building codes. I will raise federal efficiency standards for appliances and maximize the potential of the Energy Star program by working to get more efficient appliances in stores and educating buyers and builders.

I will have the federal government lead by example, cutting its energy use by 20 percent and making the White House carbon neutral. The U.S. government is the nation’s single largest energy consumer, with a $15 billion energy bill in 2005. However, its investments in energy efficiency have been cut in half since 2001. I will overhaul federal buildings and vehicles to emphasize efficiency and expand the government’s use of renewable sources. After taking energy efficiency steps at the White House, I will purchase carbon offsets to make it fully carbon neutral.

Idealistic young Americans can help fight climate change by conducting volunteer energy audits, weatherizing homes, installing home solar panels, and training neighborhood groups to do the same. I will create a federal GreenCorps within AmeriCorps to create opportunities for them to serve."

Nuclear Energy [click here to read question ten]

"I do not support subsidies and tax breaks for new nuclear power plants until serious long-term safety questions about nuclear power are resolved. I believe we can meet our electricity needs with renewable energy- like wind and solar - and by developing the technology to capture and permanently store the carbon emitted by coal-fired power plants."

Liquid Coal [click here to read question eleven]

"I oppose subsidies for liquid coal. The process for extracting a usable fuel from coal produces a tremendous amount of pollution that contributes to global warming. Even if these emissions could be captured and stored permanently underground, coal-derived fuel would still emit slightly more greenhouse gases than gasoline. Rather than spending tax dollars to support a process that contributes to global warming, we should focus on increasing fuel efficiency for cars and trucks and dedicate our resources to renewable, clean ways to transport our cars."

New Coal Plants [click here to read question twelve]

"Coal will be an important source of U.S. and global electricity for decades, but it is responsible for more than 30 percent of America’s carbon dioxide emissions. I will require that all new coal-fired plants be built with technology needed to capture carbon dioxide emissions. Plants can use integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology or other effective approaches. As a result, the plants built today should be able to permanently and safely store their carbon emissions tomorrow.

We also need to aggressively develop the capabilities to permanently store emissions underground on the necessary scale. I will invest $1 billion a year to research ways to burn coal cleanly and recycle its carbon underground permanently. I will test at least three large-scale efforts to capture, transport, and store carbon dioxide. I will also provide clarity for businesses by setting rules for capturing, transporting and storing carbon dioxide."