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Clinton on Climate Change

SPEA’s Matt Auer Takes a Look at Former President Clinton’s Stance on Climate Change

Expert perspective: “Former President Bill Clinton turned heads recently in Montreal. Mr. Clinton spoke to a receptive audience on the last day of an important international negotiation on global warming. In that meeting’s preceding days, delegates lined up to condemn the US for refusing to negotiate as a full partner in multilateral talks. Mr. Clinton joined the queue. Among other things, he declared the Bush administration ‘dead wrong’ about its claim that if we aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions (gases that are warming the earth’s climate) we’ll ruin the economy.

“Mr. Clinton’s private foundation sponsors programs dealing with global warming. For this, the former president should be commended. However, Mr. Clinton’s remarks in Montreal were more forceful than any speech on global warming offered during his eight years as president. Mr. Clinton never seriously challenged the US Senate to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, recognizing that the political capital required for ratification was too high. Moreover, apart from proposing tax incentives for purchasers of energy-efficient technology and his support for climate change research, President Clinton’s best policy moments did not include climate change.

“Fortunately for the environment, Clinton’s remarks in Montreal are not merely a case of‘‘it’s easier to criticize when you’re not in the hot seat.’ When Bill Clinton puts his mind to it, he can move mountains—or in this case, cool the climate. Out of office, he has been an effective advocate for people with HIV/AIDS, for tsunami relief, and other urgent concerns. Were global warming and energy efficiency to earn the same high profile on Mr. Clinton’s agenda, environmentalists and ordinary citizens alike could take modest comfort. Leadership on global warming might not come from the current occupant of the White House, but at least the most powerful living ex-president is on board.”

The SPEA Toolkit: Matthew Auer is an associate professor at SPEA. His research focuses on comparative industrial environmental politics, international forest policy, and the politics of foreign aid.

Click here to read more about Prof. Auer.

Click here to view the Web site of the United Nations Climate Change Conference.