Presidential Candidates’ Stances on the Environment
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Presidential Candidates’ Stances on the Environment

Climate change has a history of being a hot topic debated by American politicians. Many still claim climate change is not human-caused and therefore it is not the government’s responsibility to do anything to address it.

Many voters consider environmental protection to be a very important factor in deciding who to vote into public office.

Logan Hubbard, senior wildlife and biology major said, “It’s an important issue to me because the environment is falling apart, and any effort to fix it is enough for me to consider voting for a candidate.”

Not all of the candidates have a place for climate change on their priorities list. The Republican candidates don’t consider it an issue and choose not to focus their campaign platforms on environmental ethics.

Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, has talked openly about his dislike for the Environmental Protection Agency, saying, “Environmental Protection, what they do is a disgrace. Every week they come out with new regulations. We’ll be fine with the environment. We can leave a little bit, but you can’t destroy businesses.”

Another presidential hopeful, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, has nothing on his campaign page about climate change. His voting record in Congress has not been in favor of the environment either. He voted “no” on protecting ocean, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems, and he supports fracking, building oil pipelines and offshore drilling.

Ohio Governor John Kasich does not address the environment or climate change as an issue on his website either. According to issues.org, he supports clean water and air regulations, and believes that the economy and the environment should not be in conflict. He claims to hold the interest of both.

Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is vying for the Democratic Party nomination. Her campaign website has a Climate Change section. Her plan includes producing safe energy, and reducing energy waste in homes, schools, offices and hospitals by one third. Clinton is in favor of creating more renewable energy sources and regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Clinton’s true intentions for the fossil fuel industry have been questioned. According to data compiled by Greenpeace’s research department, Clinton has received more than $4.5 million from the fossil fuel industry during the 2016 campaign. Secretary Clinton does not get money from the industry directly, but she receives money from lobbyists and people who work in the industry.

Self-proclaimed independent Senator Bernie Sanders is also vying for the Democratic Party nomination. His plan is to get fossil fuel lobbyists out of politics, transition away from fossil fuels by investing in renewables, create more public transportation and to cooperate with other countries in the fight against climate change. Sanders is against fracking, offshore drilling and in favor of federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions.

Fracking is where Sanders and Clinton disagree the most. Clinton is in favor or fracking in certain situations. Sanders does not support fracking at all.

Morgan Broske, sophomore biochemistry and pre-medical major said “It’s a pretty big factor because currently fracking is a big issue that has been ignored by a majority of the candidates.”

Out of all of the candidates, none match Jill Stein’s record on environmental protection. Stein is the Green Party candidate for president. Stein’s main focus is on environmental ethics. She is anti-fracking, anti-drilling and wants to transition the United States to 100% clean energy by the year 2030.

Each candidate’s environmental policies tend to coincide with their given party’s environmental stances. The true question is if the presidential hopefuls will follow through on their promises for protecting the environment.

Genevieve Adamski

Reporter

gadam590@uwsp.edu

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