Obama Details Climate and Energy Position

Date: September 8, 2008

Source: News Room

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama recently outlined how he proposes to address climate change if elected. In response to 14 questions posed by a group calling itself "Science Debate 2008" which is asking both major party candidates to address how they would deal with various scientific issues, Mr. Obama laid out some notable details. Among them, is his emphasis on funding nuclear technology development as a top priority which is a departure from his past concerns that new construction should be contingent on addressing waste disposal and proliferation concerns. Among his other policies, he said he would "implement a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 ... create a Global Energy Forum--based on the G8+5, which includes all G-8 members plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa ... create a Technology Transfer Program dedicated to exporting climate-friendlytechnologies, including green buildings, clean coal and advanced automobiles, to developing countries."

He pledges to spend $150 billion over the next ten years on "clean energy research." Obama is also promising to: boost funds for carbon capture and sequestration research; mandate increased energy efficiency in buildings; extend the production tax credits for renewable energies; create a national portfolio standard requiring 25 percent of electricity to be from renewable sources by 2025; and to "work closely with utilities to introduce a digital smart grid that can optimize the overall efficiency of the nation's electric utility system, by managing demand and making effective use of renewable energy and energy storage."

To read more, visit Science Debate 2008's website: www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=40.

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