Which presidential candidate is the greenest?

The Associated Press

This Chinese plant is spewing greenhouse gases at an alarming rate. What can the next U.S. president do about it?

Featured Topic | Posted 28 weeks 2 days ago

Which presidential candidate is the greenest?

All three top U.S. presidential contenders tout their environmental credentials. But the League of Conservation Voters says Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton cast far more "green" votes in Congress than John McCain. McCain, who favors a cap-and-trade system to manage greenhouse gases, earned a zero rating from the group.

But just how green are the candidates? And what are the merits of their proposals to combat climate change? Would the policies that Clinton, Obama and McCain advocate help the environment, hurt the economy, or make no difference whatsoever?

Ben likes: McCain on global warming

Ramesh Ponnuru/National Review Online

McCain says that gas prices will go down, because cap and trade will stimulate the development of new green energy sources. I don't see how this works at all. If the prices go down, won't consumption just go right back up, defeating the whole point of the exercise? And if this fanciful model worked, carbon taxes would have the exact same effect, right?

Joel likes: John McCain and climate change

David Roberts/Grist

The media touts McCain's stance on climate as evidence of his straight-talkin' maverickosity. Conservative stalwarts assail McCain for his heresy (Romney attacked McCain's climate bill in Michigan and Florida). The public hails him for reaching across the aisle. Even Democrats and greens seem inclined to give him a grade of Good Enough on climate.

This is a classic case of what our president calls the soft bigotry of low expectations. Judged against his fellow Republicans, McCain is a paragon of atmospheric wisdom. Judged against the climate and energy legislation afoot in Congress, he falls short. Judged against the two leading Democratic presidential candidates, he is a pale shadow. Judged against the imperatives of climate science -- that is to say, judged against brute physical reality -- he isn't even in the ballpark.
It's time to stop grading McCain on a curve.