Libby Rosenthal over at the International Herald Tribune’s Business of Green blog worries, just like me, about the lack of green issues being raised in the US primaries.

Having spent the last week in the United States and having watched all the presidential candidates debate, I’m struck by how little talk there is of climate change and what the United States intends to do about it!

The climate threat that faces us today is the important issue that should be among the top things discussed between the different presidential candidates. Cause the climate threat will affect everything from healthcare to immigration and Iraq to education and welfare.

Libby Rosenthal acknowledges this and put weight on America’s most foolish decision to attempt to disrupt the climate actions that needs to be done around the world by not signing the Kyoto Protocol.

But from the world’s perspective, the issue of whether America will join with other countries in controlling global warming is a key issue, and one that should be discussed in front of the American public: The United States is, after all, the major developed nation that has not signed the Kyoto Protocol.

After the Australian federal election last year were decided on the climate change inaction by John Howard, Australia signed the Kyoto Protocol and left USA alone.

Libby Rosenthal continues by adding that “the most disturbing thing in some ways is not what the candidates think, but how little this important issue is being discussed, despite 24/7 television coverage. That means the candidates have not had to explain how they will handle tough questions like how to get U.S. car makers to participate in emission reductions; how to discourage Americans from driving gas guzzlers; and whether the United States will step up to the plate to control its emissions, even if China does not.”

Unfortunately, at the moment, it doesn’t seem like the USA elections will be decided upon the different candidates “green” credentials and ideas any day soon.

Image credit: Alexdecarvalho. Image licensed under a
Creative-Commons Attribution license.