Palin’s environmental stance at odds with McCain’s
Published Sunday, October 12, 2008
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Stumble It!WASHINGTON — Gov. Sarah Palin is the only one of the major-party candidates in the presidential race — including her running mate, Sen John McCain — who has expressed doubts about whether human activity is the primary cause of global warming.
The Republican vice-presidential candidate has made a number of comments since joining the ticket, and earlier as governor, that question how much man’s actions are to blame for the recent rise in temperatures.
Palin’s statements are at odds with the position taken by McCain, who has long been one of Congress’ staunchest advocates for legislation to cut greenhouse gas emissions that most scientists believe are a leading contributor to global warming.
The McCain campaign points to her record as governor as proof that she’s serious about addressing the effects of global warming. But her critics maintain she’s done little beyond establishing a government panel to look at ways to mitigate the effects of climate change, while ignoring the causes.
While Palin has acknowledged that Alaska’s climate is changing more rapidly than other regions, she has been ambivalent about the role of humans in bringing about those changes.
“I’m attributing some of man’s activities to potentially causing some of the changes in the climate right now,” she told ABC News’ Charles Gibson in September in her first major interview.
Meanwhile, McCain has been on the record for years as saying he believes there is sufficient scientific evidence that human activity is the driving force behind climate change.
“While there are still a few skeptics of climate change, the evidence supporting the cause of rising global temperatures as human-induced is overwhelming,” McCain said in 2006.
McCain and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama have both sponsored legislation to cap U.S. carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
McCain has called for a 60 percent reduction in emissions from 1990 levels by 2050. But Palin’s presence on the ticket, and McCain’s decision to put her in charge of energy policy, raise questions as to whether their administration would follow through with implementing the plan.
In Tuesday’s presidential debate, McCain reiterated his support for addressing climate change through a cap on emissions, and highlighted the difference between his position and that of President Bush.
“We have an issue that we may hand our children and our grandchildren a damaged planet,” McCain said. “I have disagreed strongly with the Bush administration on this issue.”
Palin has said Alaskans are already seeing the effects of global warming.
“We’re the only Arctic state, of course, Alaska, so we feel the impacts more than any other state up there with the changes in the climate, and certainly it is apparent,” Palin told CBS News’ Katie Couric last month. “We have erosion issues and melting sea ice, of course.”
Palin told CBS that human activity is contributing somewhat to changes in the climate. But she has stopped short of saying it’s a primarily manmade phenomenon.
“I’m not going to solely blame all of man’s activities on changes in climate because the world’s weather patterns are cyclical and over histories we have seen changes there,” she said in the interview.
Palin went on to say that what was causing temperatures to rise was less important than dealing with the impacts.
“It kind of doesn’t matter at this point as we debate what caused it. The point is it’s real. We need to do something about it,” she said.
The nonpartisan online fact-checking site PolitiFact.com found Palin’s evolving statements on climate change registered a “full flop” on its Truth-o-Meter.
In the recent vice-presidential debate with Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, Palin responded to a question about climate change with calls for boosting domestic oil and natural gas production.
“We’ve got to reduce emissions. John McCain is right there with an ‘all of the above’ approach to deal with climate change impacts. We’ve got to become energy independent for that reason.
“Also, as we rely more and more on other countries that don’t care about the environment as we do, we’re allowing them to produce and emit and even pollute more than America would ever stand for.
“So even in dealing with climate change, it’s all the more reason that we have an ‘all of the above’ approach, tapping into alternative sources of energy and conserving fuel, conserving our petroleum products and our hydrocarbons so that we can clean up this planet and deal with climate change.”
As governor, Palin has been cautious in her approach to dealing with climate change, saying any response “must recognize Alaska’s interest in economic growth and the development of its resources.”
She has not said whether she thinks the federal government should set a mandatory cap on emissions.
McCain spokesman Rick Gorka pointed to the fact that Palin set up a sub-cabinet on climate change last year as evidence of her commitment to dealing with the issue. But environmental groups complain the sub-cabinet has done little more than inventory the state’s emissions.
More telling, Palin’s critics contend, is the fact that she has kept Alaska out of the Western Climate Initiative, which includes seven western states and four Canadian provinces that seek to reduce emissions by 15 percent during the next 15 years.
Palin has also sued the federal government regarding its listing of the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Palin’s administration maintains the listing will restrict oil and natural gas development on the North Slope, the state’s main economic engine. McCain has said he believes polar bear populations in Alaska are endangered.
In her arguments to the federal government against listing the polar bear, Palin referenced the work of several high-profile climate deniers and said there were “no discrete human activities that can be regulated or modified to effect change” in addressing global warming.
Kassie Siegel, of the Center for Biological Diversity and a central figure in the effort to get the polar bear listed, said Palin and the state are challenging the consensus view on climate change of literally thousands of the world’s leading scientists.
The state’s lawsuit challenging the listing is “damaging” and “dangerous” because it shows that what Palin wants to do about global warming is nothing, Siegel said.
“Doing nothing is equal to Palin clubbing baby polar bears to death herself,” Siegel said. “All we need do is nothing and the polar bear will become extinct.”
Community Discussion
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Another weak piece by Dillon.
Nowhere within the article is there an interview with any Alaskans who serve on Palin's sub-cabinet on climate change. Dillon, how could you write an entire article on this subject and miss something so obvious?
The panel was created by Gov. Palin's administrative order; it is a forward looking approach because Gov. Palin wanted to gather as much information and advice as possible on climate change and how it impacts Alaska.
For readers who desire the details Dillon missed:
http://www.climatechange.alaska.gov/
It's not surprising that Sarah Palin is very confused about climate change; she doesn't understand temperatures.
See, she hangs out with a political party whose former leader said this:
"The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government."
That's right, EARLIER THIS YEAR Ms Palin addressed a group who admires a man who, before dying in a freak plastics explosives accident, said that.
Volger, the former leader of AIP got blown up by plastic explosives in the early '90's.
And Todd Palin was in the group for several years.
And Sarah has spoken several times at their conventions.
Conventions calling for the secession of Alaska from the US.
How very patriotic.
Sarah Palin palling around with secessionists:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eniG9l_7i...
Whats wrong with being a secession advocate? And where did you get this whacted out idea that Joe Volger died in a plastic explosion in his basement?
Palin has an environmental stance? More like an anti-environmental stance. She's Joe Vogler in lingerie.
As to seven51's question....what's wrong about the secessionist advocation is it's immense hypocrisy (which is probably why Palin is a closet AIP'er). Alaska was bought by the federal government from Russia and hence was federal land. The AIP enjoys the protection of the federal military, the use of federal highways and road maintenance, federal airports, federal aid...and keeps whining about how "independent" it is when it can't even stand on its own without federal help in these and other forms. Alaskans are well aware of how extreme and just plain imbecilic is the AIP stance. Hence, it hasn't had a successful political candidate in years. Even when it got Hickel in the AIP wound up disowning him when it finally (duhhh...) figured out it had been used by him.
It's true Vogler didn't die in an explosion. Fittingly, he was killed by one of his own AIP members who later tried to blow himself up when he was beseiged by the federal authorities (once again having to clean up an AIP mess) outside of town. Appropriately for an AIP member, he botched even that and was found cowering in the dirt basement under his demolished cabin. And the AIP wonders why they are the standing joke in Alaska!
This world needs more Joe Voglers and less sheep.
AIP is a club of mommy morons who couldn't be men if they didn't have guns and BS. Talk about "falling for anything" people like vogler and followers are just HATEFUL. Thankfully they are easy to spot, and easy to rile.
Certainly, sambreetmeuse, there is nothing at all hateful in your comment, no, not at all. I may not have always agreed with Joe but that man was a true patriot. Which is just a lot more than can be said for many of those in our congress today and, perhaps, is more than can be said for one of the presidential candidates.
It's nice to note the polls continue to be in Obama's favor....today he's at his highest against Palin/McCain. It's also interesting to note that this weekend Palin has somewhat tempered her vicious attacks against Obama, returned to the issue of abortion, and strapped on that comatose baby she uses as a prop when it suits her purpose. I surely hope that in future elections here in Alaska we are a bit more awake than in past elections....cause when you really start poking this one with a stick it is an empty suit. With lipstick.
C'mon people, it ISNT all manmade reasons for the "global warming" If we didnt have climate change dont you think we would still be living in a ice age? Remember your history. I agree with Palin, Im sure we contribute to it somewhat but the world is changing in some ways that we have no control over when it comes to climate.
One of the major "fuels" to the increase in global warming in the recent months is Palin's hot air and flip-flopping...especially in regards to her promise of "ethics" and "clear and transparent" government. The hot air spewing from her mouth is radically increasing the air temperature in the world, and the friction created from the flip-flopping is in itself a new heating source for this country...one that should be tapped responsibly so people can heat homes instead of the air at a rally. Keep her under control and we likely can comply with the Kyoto Protocols.
the sun hasn't had a sun spot for some time did man cause that? Maybe global warming is the fire and brimstone working its way to the surface, because man has proven his incompetence to take care of his world.
overdue---
You are obviously from Outside, and dont know a thing about Alaska, Joe Vogler (not Volger), the circumstances of his murder, or the history of the AIP. You are ignorant of matters that you pretend to know about, based on a quick internet search and your feelings about Gov Palin, and Republicans in general. I can tell this by the language you use which tries to compare the politics of a legitimate political party in Alaska to a 60s radical, scumbag, group of murderous thugs.
You should either learn the truth, or put a cork in it.
McCain has more sense than Palin does at least, no wonder why he lost so much support by choosing her as his running mate.
Has anybody broke it to her that the earth is spherical and revolves around the sun? try not to get fired telling her tho(state employees)......
geez global warming chills because there is not enough money, see Sarah it is man made, another lie perpetrated by the democrats.
Palin is a redneck bigot. A George Wallace wanna be. Vanilla from Wasilla.
Personally, I can hardly wait for Palin to be president. It makes me breathless.
I so look forward to a new cabinet-level office: The Department of Good and Evil
I can see her first book making quite a splash: "Dinosaurs, Black Holes, and other Urban Legends."
Spouse Todd as Vice President, making them the first husband-and-wife team to serve together (she insisted upon this before she agreed to run).
The national solution to global warming: Fulfilling her campaign promise of awarding $1,000 per person in food stamps, only redeemable for frozen foods.
Sarah Palin doesn't have the brains to know what an enviromental problem is!! I have seen a lot of politicians during my life, but have NEVER seen one as mentally deficient as she is. This country deserves and needs some intelligence in government, that leaves Palin out! Its just totally amazing to me how she ever became governor of Alaska!!!!!!!
I would have voted for McCain if he had choosen a running mate who had proven credentials, but since Palin came upon the scene and made such a complete moron of herself plus showing she did not have 1% of the knowledge needed for the position of vice president, no way will I vote this ticket!
Didn't you guys run an article a few weeks ago by a prominent scientist who said it wasn't manmade, but cyclical in nature?
At odds...hmmm...doesn't that make her a MAVERICK?
Go Sarah!
Hea great new news, the earth's climate is changing, WOW George Bush must have caused it. Get a grip, the earth has been changing long before we got here,, who caused those changes, the monkeys farting???
McCain's stand on man-made global warming is disturbing. I hope that his VP can talk sense into him, before he initiates any radical emission standards to American businesses, or signs onto any Kyoto like international treaties after he is elected President.
Sarah is the only one on either ticket that is not following the chicken little Global Warming crowd. The truth in Global Warming is on thermometers worldwide not some half baked computer model. Five years from now Global Warming will be a joke. Without Sarah on the ticket I would have never considered voting for McCain because of his and Obama's carbon tax nonsense.
McCain realizes he has lost this race, Obama's numbers are rising by the day to the extent that he is in the double digits now. I dare say that Palin's chance of being an official in Alaska's government is very slim now!
hadrian38---
It's a good thing that elections aren't decided by polls. I think I'll wait for the election results themselves.
Was it '88, when Dukakis had a 17 point lead headed down the home stretch? You dont think that some of the poll takers might be fudging the numbers a little bit, do you? Change the sample a little, here and there. Make their team look a little better.
Les, don't faint, but I'm going to agree with you re: Joe Vogler.
I considered Joe as a friend, drank many cups of coffee with him at the co-op.
We never talk of his personal feelings.
HE WAS A GOOD MAN, AND I WAS PROUD, TO CALL HIM MY FRIEND!
Actually, Palin's stance on global warming is just about the *only* thing I agree with her on. Should people reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Yes, absolutely. Less air pollution and fossil fuel consumption can only be good things. But are humans the primary cause of climate change? I used to think so, but now I feel that it's very reasonable to have doubts about that. The climate's been changing ever since the climate has existed. We might be contributing to the change, but somehow, at this point, I have doubts that people are the main cause of it.
One thing Joe Vogler wasn't, he wasnt a patriot. I talked with him a few times, even liked him, but patriot, no way was Joe an American patriot.
"WASHINGTON — Gov. Sarah Palin is the only one of the major-party candidates in the presidential race — including her running mate, Sen John McCain — who has expressed doubts about whether human activity is the primary cause of global warming."
It's real nice to know that Palin stands on the side of a large group of scientists, including Professor Okasofu, who don't believe global warming is human-caused. If global warming is caused by humans, what caused the last global warming on earth?
And how about the global warming taking place in Mars? Did we cause that one, too? Oh..I got it! Humans caused the global warming in Mars, and were forced to "illegally" immigrate to Earth in order to survive.
I think all those people deeply concerned with global warming should move to China.... Continue your campaign there. We saw first-hand the smog, the factories.
By continuing our dependence on foreign oil we do nothing but fund rogue nations who hate America.
Dillon, you're a joke.
Palin can prove that the earth is flat, she can see Russia from Alaska! I'll bet she learned this from her Witch Doctor!! One thing is for certain, she is sure making Alaskan's look like retards.
Maybe Governor Palin actually wants some facts on the matter of global warming from world renouned scientists like Dr. Okasofu before getting on the Al Gore lemming train. Global warming has become a religion - with those who don't "believe" becoming objects of scorn by those who do.
Of course, there will always be the "does too," "does not," "does too," "does not" crowd who have never read anything about climate change except what was published by a journalism major working for a media outlet somewhere.
Google Dr. Sean Okasofu and read his summary of global climate change. More and more, scientists all over the world are switching to his side of the fence. Even NASA scientists are now in agreement with Dr. Okasofu. Perhaps the Nobel Prize folks should take the prize away from Al Gore and give it to Dr. Okasofu.
Reporter: So govorner, you say the polar bear population is fine...
answer from Gov. Palin, Yea, just go to any airport in Alaska, you'll see them their.
dobieman -- Governor Palin's opinion on anthropogenic global climate change is shared by Dr. Akosofu, our state's leading atmospheric physicist.
Personally, I am grateful for what we have. The worst case scenario is global cooling. Energy consumption goes up, pollution gets worse, then fuel and food gets scarce, and people have more reasons to go to war.
For some of you out there that don't keep up with "Global Warming" you'll be happy know that several well know scientist's have determined that they earth has actually begun to cool again. Now let me think about that......that would mean that it was cyclic! She may just be better versed in it that some out there.
I have friends in Kaktovik. They run polar bear tour packages...polar bears, according to the people who live among them, are abundant.
I guess they haven't consulted with the "experts" who don't live in the Arctic.
Funny.
If Lord Obama is such a shoe-in then why all the vitriol toward Palin? With their remarks running at 80% name calling its safe to say that debating is not a strong suit for his followers.
About man made global warming, now called "climate change." I think its an interesting religion and I would like to know more. Where do you all hold services?
For those who want so badly to cling to the belief that humans are not causing the global climate change, please do your homework. Yes, there is cyclical climate change. But when climates change as a natural process, it happens quite slowly -- it tends to be measured in geological time. The climate change we're talking about now has occurred in the last hundred years. It coincides EXACTLY with the industrial revolution and the amount of greenhouse we're putting into the air. I've seen drastic changes in my own lifetime. I'm 34. This is unprecedented. And it's a sign that something's very, very wrong.
Yes, there are a few scientists (many of whom are funded by oil companies to say these things, by the way) who put out some evidence that it might not ALL be our doing, but the majority of scientists claim otherwise.
We, as a species, can't fix this unless and until we get our collective heads out of the sand. I think Palin's views on this are scary -- I don't want someone making decisions about environmental policy and energy who clearly doesn't know the magnitude or urgency of the problem. I don't think Palin is stupid -- she's just ignorant about some key issues. But there's no excuse for ignorance at the level of power she's gunning for.
hadrian38, you are a clown, please go to bed now and no supper for you. substantiate aomething before you try to post it.
Why is the temperature on mars going up?
Does CO2 gas cause temps to rise or does an increase in temperature cause the percentage of CO2 gas in the atmosphere to rise?
Would global cooling,resulting from a volcanic explosion 120 years ago,have caused temp fluctuations that we can still measure today?
Why have temps gone down half a degree in the last two years?
To bad Al Gore declared the debate over, it might be kind of interesting to discuss these issues.
You want scary, the "fix" for global climate change is to have the UN mandate strict world wide energy use polices. So many others have failed in their attempt at world domination, will the environmentalist now succeed?
PioneerAK -
I used to live in Barrow. When there are a lot of polar bears on land and not on the sea ice, that's a worrisome and telling thing. More polar bears are staying close to or on land as the sea ice gets less stable and harder to find.
Did your friends in Kaktovik mention how hungry those bears are because they're not on the sea ice -- where the seals are? Did your friend in Kaktovik mention anything about how bears are in arctic towns more frequently now looking for food?
There might be a lot of bears around Kaktovik, but all signs point to that being temporary. I feel really lucky to have gotten to see as many polar bears as I did when I lived in Barrow. I doubt my grandchildren will have the privilege, except perhaps in a zoo.
Rachel,
You're almost dead wrong on the issue of climate change. One of the leading scientists in the world on the subject of climate change is at UAF. Several weeks ago the DNM published a community perspective written by him in which he thoroughly explained short and long term changes in temperature. Did you know there was a mini ice age in the mid 1800's? Did you know there was a mini warm-up in the 1930's and 40's, followed by a cool down in the 60's and 70's. Did you know that those mini warm-ups and cool downs have been happening regularly in between larger periods of global cooling (ice ages) and global warming? Did you know that the earth's average temperature has been decreasing since 2000-2001?
Most reasonable people don't argue that human activities are playing a small role in climate change, but climate change would be occuring with or without us, and on the scale and time frames we're currently seeing. How do we know that? Because the fossil record for thousands of years bears that out.
That also doesn't mean we should be cutting our emissions and just generally being more careful stewards of this big beautiful ball we live on.
Dobieman-- When Alaska was bought by the United States, it was a territory for years. My "memories" which can be faulty at times. Makes me think that the guy that was convicted of shooting Joe Vogler, ( I apologize for misspelling his name on my previous post), did not try to blow himself up, it was not a little cabin with a dirt cellar. It was full sized house with a concrete basement. And as far as I know, there is still controversy over who started the fire, the troopers, or the killer. Also to the person that said that Joe Vogler was not a patriot, I guess that depends on definition, if you consider someone who kisses butt and never disagrees with the masters to be a patriot, I think you are wrong. But if you think that someone who tells the Government this is the way I want my America to be is a non-patriot, then your wrong again.
Rachel -- you couldn't be more wrong on climate change. Temperature change has not correlated with the industrial age, only lower atmospheric CO2 concentrations correlate. It is easily demonstrable that current temps are perfectly in-line with long-term cycles (see Vostok ice-core data). The geologic data shows that temperatures rise slowly with numerous short-term peaks, but that temps drop catastrophically with accompanying onset of glacial advance. With the decade long detachment of average temps and CO2 concentrations, the link between CO2 and temps has been obliterated. BTW, recent research shows that global temps have virtually nothing to do with arctic sea ice thinning. It has everything to do with cyclical Gulfstream current variation.
The recent significant lack of warming (1999-2008) should be of grave concern. Global cooling is a far greater calamity than warming. If we truly are in for the onset of the next ice age, the fate of the polar bear will be of zero concern. Rather, Mankind will be scrambling to artificially warm the planet.
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