DNC Platform is Less Environmentally Focused than in 2008

The platform being discussed at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) is infinitely more environmentally aware than the platform agreed upon at the Republican National convention. However both political parties are less than perfect when it comes to their proposed green initiatives for the next four years.

As reviewed in a Desmog blog post published in Eco-Watch the Republican party platform is essentially a recipe for dependence on fossil fuels.

For their part the Democrats have caved to Republican pressure and they have backpedaled on the environment from their 2008 position. They are no longer calling for an end to fossil fuels, instead they have adopted an all of the above strategy. Although the DNC platform calls for an international deal to curtail GHG pollution, it no longer indicates that the agreement should be binding. The platform also drops the party’s 2008 support for cap-and-trade.

The Obama Administration's environmental policy has eroded over the last four years due to virulent opposition from the GOP and some of their own membership.

While it is easy to criticize, it is irresponsible to consider the DNC's environmental platform in a vacuum. The political realities need to be factored into the equation. If the Democrats adopt the kind of environmental position that many environmentalists are advocating, they are at greater risk of losing the forthcoming election and Republican control of the White House and the Congress would be a disaster.

Although neither platform offers the broad spectrum changes we need to see to effectively curtail climate change, the Democrats are still by far the best option.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Democrats Against Efforts to Manage Climate Change

While we often think of Republicans as being the minions of the fossil fuel industry, there are also a number of Democrats who support dirty energy like coal. Although Republicans comprise the largest share of people who do not support a science based approach to climate change, some Democrats are also guilty of ignoring the facts about global warming and resisting climate and energy legislation.

With the exception of Democrats from the East and West coasts, there are large pockets of Democratic resistance to serious action on climate change. As the second-biggest producer of this fossil fuel, West Virginia Democrats are amongst the worst climate change deniers in the country. The state's Govenor Earl Ray Tomblin and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin are Democrats who championed the cause of coal industry.

In 2010, there were 44 Democrats who voted against climate change legislation and 211 who supported it. In total 7 percent of Democrats in Obama-majority districts opposed the White House on the vote.

Simply put support for climate and energy legislation is related to the degree to which a state relies on coal to generate electricity. Thirty of the 121 Democrats from states that generate at least 40 percent of their power from coal voted against the 2010 bill; just 14 of the 134 Democrats from states that are less reliant on coal joined them in opposition. That means about one-in-four of the coal state Democrats voted no, compared to only a little over one-in-10 of everyone else.

Of the 29 "McCain Democrats" who opposed the bill, 21 represent states that are heavily dependent on coal. Midwestern states rely on coal for electricity. Which is why 12 of the Democrats from the Midwest and the Plains states did not support the bill

Most of the Democrats who did not support the bill came from Southern states. Eighteen of the 44 Democratic "no" votes came from the 11 states of the Old Confederacy; 40 Southern Democrats supported the bill. That means nearly a third of Southern Democrats opposed the bill.

Opposition to energy and climate legislation came from the sole Democratic representatives in North Dakota, South Dakota and Louisiana; both Democratic representatives from West Virginia; and majorities of the Democratic delegations from Arkansas and Indiana.

Even an attempt to pass legislation in the US Senate to end a cap on oil spill damages was put on hold due to lack of support from at least two Democrat senators from the oil-rich states of Louisiana and Alaska. It is shocking to note that even the worst oil spill in US history could not get Democrats to protect people and the marine environment from the oil industry.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Climate Change and the Democratic Party Platform at the DNC

The Democratic platform promotes the development of clean energy jobs, the conservation of public lands, clean air and water. However to appeal to the American public the Democrats are advocating an an “all-of-the-above" energy strategy, which includes oil, "clean" coal and natural gas. While we may rue support for fossil fuels and the conspicuous absence of important ideas like a market-based cap-and-trade system in the Democrat's 2012 platform, we would do well to remember that there will be no clean energy and no green jobs under a Republican president. The Democrats need to appeal to voters to get elected and at the present time issues like cap-and-trade are dead issues.

As reviewed in the Huffington Post, the 2012 Republican platform mentions the term "climate change" once (while downplaying the issue's severity), the 2012 Democratic platform uses the term "climate change" 18 times.

While Republicans do not even openly acknowledge anthropogenic climate change. The Democratic platform argues that climate change is "one of the biggest threats of this generation" and they realize that "The change wrought by a warming planet will lead to new conflicts over refugees and resources; new suffering from drought and famine; catastrophic natural disasters; and the degradation of vital ecosystems across the globe."

The Democrats have pledged to work on an international effort to cut emissions and provide financing for developing nations to protect themselves from the effects of climate change.

Under the circumstances of Republican obstructionism, a woefully misinformed public and resistance from some Democrats, President Obama and the Democratic party has been leading efforts to address climate change.

In 2012 climate change may not be as central to the Democrat's platform as it was in 2008, but they remain the only national party in the US to seriously address the issue. While many are frustrated with the Democrats weaker position on climate, for voters who have even a passing understanding of environmental issues the Democrats are the only game in town.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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