Bear with me or perhaps visit another one of our pages if you’re not ready for a political ride (To be quite honest, this blog post is more like a little kid’s ride at an amusement park when you’re not tall enough to ride the ‘big kids’ ride…not many twists and turns).
For a variety of reasons, watching this election season unfold has been quite heart-rendering. As of now, we’re looking at Donald Trump(Yikes! Who wants a president spewing racist, xenophobic, sexist rhetoric and inciting violence? Not this gal) and John Kasich as potential Republican party nominees. Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are the potential Democratic nominees. Quite the interesting pool. Even more interesting when you consider their environmental politics.
While I know that policies, laws, and elected officials cannot move mountains and reform systems in one, or even two, terms, they certainly can start, continue, or delay progress. Being from Colorado (a swing state), and being aware of the environment, I’m aware of the power of my vote and the impact it may have. I can also proudly say that I, Darya Nicol, “feel the Bern.”
Regardless, if you do a quick Google search on presidential candidates and climate change, you might stumble upon an NPR article from August 11, 2015. Now, you might be saying “that’s dated, Darya!” Yes, it’s dated, but the good news for us is that good ol’ Bernie doesn’t flip flop on his stances. The other candidates also seem to have stuck to their stances on climate change as seen below:
Has said climate change is real: Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton, John Kasich
Has said climate change is man made: Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton, John Kasich
Has called for some degree of action on climate changes: Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton, John Kasich
Has explicitly said he/she will combat climate change if elected: Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton
Has made specific proposals to reduce emissions: Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton
Opposes Keystone XL: Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton
Has not said climate change is real: Donald Trump
Has not said climate change is man made: Donald Trump
Has not called for some degree of action on climate changes: Donald Trump
Has not explicitly said he/she will combat climate change if elected: Donald Trump, John Kasich
Has not made specific proposals to reduce emissions: Donald Trump, John Kasich
Supports Keystone XL: Donald Trump, John Kasich
All very interesting. Do yourself a favor and get educated on the issues! Form your stances. The elections are coming sooner than we know and it never hurts to be aware.
Written by Darya Nicol, class of 2016