McCain and Clinton's green ideas

I chose to look at the environmental platforms of John McCain and Hillary Clinton. Based on Clapp and Dauverne’s categories, I think McCain and Clinton are market liberals. Market liberals believe that “economic growth and high per capita incomes are essential for human welfare and the maintenance of sustainable development” (Clapp & Dauverne, 4). Both candidates’ websites talk extensively of economy this and that, strengthen US economy, make a green economy, and so on. McCain’s website admits that global warming and climate change are a problem and that we should do something about it, but he doesn’t really outline any type of plan at all. Clinton, on the other hand, has a very definitive plan for how she’d handle the climate crisis—green research funding, carbon cap-and-trade programs, reducing carbon emissions, etc. I think because of her more in-depth planning and also that she plans to make the “National Energy Council,” she could border on the side of Institutionalist as well, but mostly a market liberal because the tenet of her environmental plans have to do with the economy and job creation for economic growth that will in turn all help the environment.

Clearly, Hillary’s plan makes more sense to me than McCain’s short webpage that it’s our "patriotic duty" to stop climate change. McCain is just saying things but Clinton seems to be actually promising things. All of what Hillary says she’ll do is what I would want a president to do—cut emissions, foster green economic growth, enact policies that make us live cleaner, more efficient, and establishing bonds and research funds to make sure this can all happen.