Presidential candidates are being challenged to “walk the talk” as they crisscross the country and offset the greenhouse gas pollution generated by their own campaigns. Comments from Julia Bovey of the NRDC Action Fund, an affiliate of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Nevada State Senator Dina Titus (D-Clark County) and Julie Ann Fishel of the Western Shoshone Resources Defense Project.


Politics can be dirty business – and this Valentine’s Day, Presidential candidates are being asked to clean things up—literally—by offsetting the greenhouse gas pollution generated by their own campaign. Candidates can still take the campaign plane to Nevada and keep what’s called a “carbon neutral” pledge, according to Julia Bovey with the NRDC Action Fund. She says using hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles instead of big gas-guzzlers can make a big difference, and for pollution that’s unavoidable, like flying, candidates can purchase “carbon credits” that can be used to invest in clean energy technologies in Nevada.


"We’re asking the candidates to put their own practices to the test, when it comes to making sure that they aren’t making global warming worse, simply by trying to run for office."

The challenge is getting mixed response in Nevada from some politicians and Native American environmental advocates who say a carbon neutral campaign would be a positive step; but commitments from candidates to deal with global warming in their platforms would be even better.


Nevada State Senator Dina Tutus says she hopes candidates will go a whole lot further…


"I think every campaign should try to recycle as much as possible, but I think the bigger concern is to emphasize that global warming is real, and that we need international cooperation (:09) and the U.S. instead of contributing to the problem should be helping to solve it; now I think if you can get that kind of commitment from the candidates, I think that’s a big step."

With a new coal-fired power plant being proposed on Shoshone Land, Julie Ann Fishel with the Western Shoshone Resources Defenses Project says the carbon neutral campaign pledge is a good start.


"I think it needs to go farther, I think they should actually ask the presidential candidates for a commitment to address environmental issues first and foremost as a matter of top security for the entire country (:11) and to immediately address industry contamination of land, air and water."

their platforms

Presidential contenders might have to change how they get to the Silver State, if they want to accept an environmental challenge to “leave no pollution behind.” Mike Clifford reports…


Bovey 202-289-2420, Fischel 702-468-0230. NRDC’s Peter Lehner at 202-513-6240 has a copy of the letters sent to candidates, asking them to run “green” campaigns.





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School buses are getting cleaner in Washington state after this year's legislative session.

Lawmakers in Olympia passed House Bill 1368, which will fund the purchase of zero emission school buses.

Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island, said the program is getting off the ground quickly.

"As we work towards that long-term goal of all new school buses being zero emission, we're kick-starting this year with $40 million in grants to school districts in overburdened communities," Senn explained.

Going forward, Senn noted school districts will have to purchase zero-emission vehicles once the total cost of ownership is equal to or lower than the cost of diesel vehicles. The state is leveraging the state's Climate Commitment Act resources to fund the transition of its 10,000 school buses.

Devin Denney, director of transportation for Highline Public Schools in King County, which already has electric school buses in its fleet, said he has driven the electric buses and talked about some of their benefits from a driver's perspective.

"You're not competing against that engine noise, the kids aren't competing against the engine noise," Denney observed. "It's a much quieter bus all the way around. The major advantage, of course, is that there's no tailpipe emissions with an electric bus, so our kids' health is better protected."

Senn emphasized health studies have shown there are negative health effects from diesel vehicles for kids, and it is easy to understand why.

"If you think about kids waiting to get on their bus in front of an elementary school and you have this line of buses idling, letting out diesel fumes right at the height of a little child, it becomes obvious that this is probably not the most healthy thing for our children," Senn added.


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Today, in honor of Earth Day, climate advocates are asking California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom to rally around a plan to put a $15 billion bond measure on the November ballot.

If passed, the bond measure would fund a range of climate resiliency measures.

Sam Hodder, president and CEO of the Save the Redwoods League, said March was the tenth month in a row to break monthly heat records.

"I think Earth Day is a terrific opportunity for the broader public to recognize how nature is critical for resilience, for our quality of life, for our mental and physical health, and for our communities more broadly," Hodder outlined.

Two similar bills to put a bond measure on the ballot are under consideration in Sacramento, Assembly Bill 1567 and Senate Bill 867, but they have been stalled since last summer. The bond would finance many programs, including some to restore wetlands that guard against sea-level rise, and to remove dead wood in forests to guard against mega-fires, which Hodder noted have killed 20% of the giant sequoias in recent years.

Opponents pointed out the state already faces a budget deficit and cannot afford to take on more debt. But only 5% of California's old-growth coastal redwoods remain, mostly due to aggressive logging many decades ago.

Hodder argued the giant trees can be critical ingredients in the fight against climate change because they trap so much carbon.

"Redwood forests sequester more carbon per acre than any other forest system in the world," Hodder emphasized. "We have the opportunity to transition the redwood forest from something that is vulnerable to climate change to something that is helping to solve and address the climate crisis."

Experts blame climate change for California's wild weather over the past few years, which has been marked by extreme drought, devastating fires and flooding rain.

A new report from the National Wildlife Federation warns that the effects of climate change in the Quad Cities, along the Iowa-Illinois border, will be severe.

But researchers got the public involved in studying to find ways to head off some of the most pressing concerns.

The report says climate change means a warmer, wetter future for the Quad Cities, which straddle the Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois.

But rather than repeat what experts have already been saying about drastic flooding along the Big Muddy, Prairie Rivers Network River Health and Resiliency Organizer Nina Struss said researchers and Quad Cities residents brainstormed solutions to tackle the effects of climate change.

"Flooding and flash flooding were the top concerns," said Struss. "Extreme heat was also a big concern, as well as drought and other extreme weather events."

Researchers combined that information with hard science at the University of Illinois to create 3D models depicting what climate-induced flooding along the Mississippi could look like in the future.

The survey also asked people to identify which geographical areas and populations are most at risk from the effects of climate change, and worked with the community on solutions to mitigate some of them.

Struss said this research proposes what are known as nature-based solutions to combat the effects of climate change - restoring, preserving and even expanding existing ecosystems, like wetlands and tree canopies. But creating more eco-friendly infrastructure, too.

"Can we work to maybe have our pavements that we're putting in be more permeable, so that they can absorb that water and have that higher water-holding capacity?" said Struss. "Can we focus on areas to plant more native plants that have stronger root systems, versus ones that have shorter root systems, to help with that water-holding capacity?"

Struss said this research isn't a one-off. It will continue to change, she said, as the climate changes, the needs become more clear, and the effects more drastic.

She said progress in addressing climate change relies on more research, education and funding.




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