Hillary Clinton vs Bernie Sanders vs Martin O’Malley (Climate Plans Chart) A Few Months Later

December 21st, 2015 by Cynthia Shahan

Back in August, I shared a chart CleanTechnica posted from ThinkProgress regarding the climate-related plans Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Martin O’Malley. The issues mentioned concern the country’s (and the planet’s, as well) ecological well-being.

In the same commentary, Scott Cooney predicted that, “Making this public now, early in the primaries, is a necessary step, and I think it will push all three of these guys to be clear on their goals.” Things are now shaping up more clearly with another chart from ThinkProgress.

Along with such chaotic politics on human rights issues, and the large number of the presidential candidates engaging in politics that feeds on mass hysteria, there is little doubt that this is a complicated election. It takes a lot to decipher what is the most humane agenda. Revisiting the first post and chart, and comparing to the new one, here’s how things look.

In this chart, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley seem to be most considerate of measures to mitigate and stop air and water pollution, and address global warming. They are more similar to 100% renewable electricity goals. To pull out the differences, they both (but Clinton doesn’t explicitly) support:

a complete fossil fuel phaseout

a carbon tax

a ban on offshore drilling

Sanders is the only one to oppose fracking, in general.

As I am looking through the ThinkProgress article sharing this chart, I am struck by this:

“Clinton’s plan is focused heavily on clean energy investment, including a 700 percent increase in solar panel installations by 2021. Unlike her rivals, her plan does not call for any carbon pricing system or bans on offshore drilling. She has, however, expressed support for cap-and-trade — though, it’s not necessarily something she would pursue as president.”

What does that mean? Support but not pursue.

We are talking about water pure enough to drink, of emphysema, children with cancer, more and more children with cancer, air, smog, ecology, sustainability. We are talking about why children die off from diseases like cancer so young.

I digress — back to the subject. Clinton has made some changes, which is good to see.

“Fast forward to the present, Clinton and her chief rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have amped up their rhetoric surrounding climate change and the environment…. Sanders released a comprehensive climate change plan specifically geared toward phasing out fossil fuel use. And in the last five months, Clinton has come out against Arctic drilling, against the Keystone XL pipeline, and against federal subsidies for oil companies.”

I do not think Hillary Clinton is stupid, and perhaps like Obama, Clinton sees herself as only being able to do so much with this issue — Congress can certainly tie up progress that a president prefers. It would be nice to see her step it up in the primaries.

Thank you ThinkProgress for these charts, and for this:

“One thing we added in this chart is each candidate’s position on fracking, a controversial technique where companies blast water, sand, and chemicals into underground shale rock to extract oil and gas. Sanders is the only candidate who has called for a total fracking ban. During his time as Maryland governor, O’Malley allowed fracking to move forward, but with strict environmental protections. Clinton has called for a fracking ban on public lands, but has also said the process is essential for a transition to a clean energy economy.”

Related Stories:

Bernie Sanders Rolls Out Ambitious Climate Action Plan

How The Grid Works, & Why Renewables Can Dominate

Renewable Energy Is Possible, Practical, & Cheaper (Than Nuclear Or Fossil Fuels)

Featured image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica











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