Scroll down to compare the views of major presidential candidates on climate and energy issues. Or narrow the chart down to compare just two: you can click on a candidate's picture to make their row disappear, then click here to restore the full chart.
Find out more about candidates' environmental stances in Grist's special election series: How Green Is Your Candidate? (And click here for info about the candidates who've dropped out of the race.)
 DemocraticCandidates |
Cap-and-trade program for greenhouse-gas emissions | Fuel-economy standards for automobiles | Renewable energy | Biofuels | Coal | Nuclear energy |
 Hillary Clinton interview, fact sheet, video |
Supports a cap-and-trade system to cut U.S. emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Would auction off 100% of emission credits, making polluters pay for the right to emit greenhouse gases. Is a cosponsor of the strongest climate bill in the Senate, the Boxer-Sanders Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act. | Supports raising standards to 40 mpg by 2020 and 55 mpg by 2030. | Calls for getting 25% of U.S. electricity from renewables by 2025. Proposes a $50 billion, 10-year fund that would invest in renewables and other alternative energy sources. | Calls for 60 billion gallons of biofuels to be produced in the U.S. each year by 2030. | Supports "clean coal." Supports coal-to-liquid fuels if they emit 20% less carbon over their lifecycle than conventional fuels. |
Is "agnostic" on nuclear power. Does not want to emphasize it as a power source unless waste-storage and other problems are solved.
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 Barack Obama interview, fact sheet |
Supports a cap-and-trade system to cut U.S. emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Would auction off 100% of emission credits, making polluters pay for the right to emit greenhouse gases. Is a cosponsor of the strongest climate bill in the Senate, the Boxer-Sanders Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act. | Supports raising standards to 52 mpg by 2026. | Calls for getting 25% of U.S. electricity from renewables by 2025. Calls for 30% of the federal government's electricity to come from renewables by 2020. Proposes investing $150 billion over 10 years in R&D for renewables, biofuels, efficiency, and other clean tech. | Calls for 60 billion gallons of biofuels to be produced in the U.S. each year by 2030. | Supports "clean coal." Supports coal-to-liquid fuels if they emit 20% less carbon over their lifecycle than conventional fuels. Says he would use "whatever tools are necessary to stop new dirty coal plants from being built in America -- including a ban on new traditional coal facilities." |
Has said we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix, but has also said nuclear is not a great option because of problems with safety and storage and because it usually requires big government subsidies.
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 RepublicanCandidate |
Cap-and-trade program for greenhouse-gas emissions | Fuel-economy standards for automobiles | Renewable energy | Biofuels | Coal | Nuclear energy |
 John McCain interview, fact sheet |
Supports a cap-and-trade system to cut U.S. emissions 60% below 1990 levels by 2050. Would give away many emission credits at the start of his plan, instead of making polluting entities pay for the right to emit greenhouse gases, though down the line he would phase in auctions of such credits. Would allow domestic and international offsets as a form of compliance. | Supports raising standards, but has not named a specific target. In 2002, introduced legislation that would have raised standards to 36 mpg by 2016. | Supports renewables, but has not offered specific targets. | Supports increased use of biofuels. Opposes subsidies for ethanol. | Supports coal power and wants to find cleaner ways to use coal. |
Supports nuclear power as a way to curb global warming and boost energy independence. Calls for subsidies for the nuclear industry.
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| Independent Candidate |
Cap-and-trade program for greenhouse-gas emissions | Fuel-economy standards for automobiles | Renewable energy | Biofuels | Coal | Nuclear energy |
 Ralph Nader interview, fact sheet |
Supports a carbon tax instead of a cap-and-trade program, but hasn't released details of his plan. | Supports raising standards. In 2000 and 2004, called for increasing standards for cars to 45 miles per gallon and light trucks to 35 mpg, to be phased in over five years. | Supports solar, wind, tidal, and other sources of renewable power. | Has voiced support for "biomass" as one good source of renewable energy, and also included biomass as part of his energy policy plan when he ran for president in 2004. | Has advocated moving away from coal power and halting subsidies to coal mining. Has also disparaged mountaintop-removal mining and criticized the Bush administration for what he says is its lax approach to coal-mine safety. |
Opposes nuclear power.
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