John McCain's Green Initiatives: Market-Based Solutions for Climate Control

On Tuesday May 13, 2008, John McCain emailed his supporters about his campaign's new eco-friendly store. John McCain's mugs, T-shirts, and caps. are now eco-friendly. Many of his products are now organic and biodegradable. John McCain has also been on the campaign trail discussing green initiatives and environmental proposals. On his website, John McCain outlined a plan to deal with Global Climate Change. With John McCain's Green Initiatives, he demonstrated his bi-partisan approach to climate control. While John McCain broke with the Republican Party by adopting his Green Initiatives, he also offered an appeal to conservative principles by proposing market-based solutions.

John McCain's Green Initiatives: International Negotiations, Market-based Solutions

John McCain proposes mandatory emission reduction targets and specific timetables in which to accomplish those goals. He proposes a 60 percent reduction from 1990 levels by the year 2050. John McCain's Green Initiatives also include joint international efforts. John McCain plans to lead negotiations for agreements that will take place after the Kyoto Treaty expires in 2012, a treaty which the Bush Administration failed to ratify. As John McCain stated, "I will not accept the same dead-end of failed diplomacy that claimed Kyoto."²

John McCain's Green Initiatives attempt to appeal to conservative principles while taking a liberal position. He offers market-based solutions, and proposes a cap-and-trade system. The cap-and-trade system would financially reward companies that reduce emissions while assigning costs to polluters. While the cap-and-trade system would limit the overall amount of greenhouse gas emissions, companies would also have the freedom to sell emissions credits to companies that have exceeded their quotas.²

John McCain has a lifetime score of 24 percent with the League of Conservation Voters, low compared to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. However, with his support of a 2003 emissions reduction bill, and his recent Green Initiatives, those numbers could change.³