McCain vs. Obama on the Environment

John McCain's stance on the environment is that it is America's "patriotic duty" to ensure clean air, healthy water, sustainable land use, and care of our National Parks. He believes that our nation's economy is tied directly to its environmental interests, and he aims to solve our environmental problems by promoting "cleaner" technologies and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. McCain can be classified as a "market liberal," as he believes that by strengthening our economy we will be able to "meet our obligation to be proper caretakers of creation."

Barack Obama is in some ways also a market liberal. He encourages research of cleaner technologies and reduction of dependence on foreign oil. However, he also has detailed plans to implement policies for reducing carbon emissions, improving energy efficiency and emissions standards, and restoring US leadership in climate change by re-engaging with the UN and creating an international forum of the largest greenhouse gas emissions. These plans place Obama into the institutionalist category as well.

Clapp and Dauvergne’s categories do help to make sense of the differences between these candidates, as political language can often be confusing, but categorizing their policies can help to interpret their policies and exact positions on the environment.

Obama's position on the environment seems to make more sense than McCain's. Obama has a much more detailed plan for how he is going to address our environmental issues, and he sees the environment as a global problem which the United States must address both within its borders and along with other nations. McCain, on the other hand, believes that the primary goals of the United States are to protect its own environment and economic interests and meet our patriotic obligations. His plans seem more vague than Obama's, and Obama approaches the environment from multiple angles while McCain really only addresses America's economic interests and "duties."