A group of 188 scientists and researchers from colleges across Iowa issued a statement Monday calling for presidential hopefuls passing through the first-in-the-nation caucus state to answer specific questions on how they will address climate change.
"We recognize the important responsibility Iowans have in the process of vetting presidential candidates, and we encourage all Iowans to demand that political leaders ground their decisions in sound, peer-reviewed science and ask them what specific policies they will advocate to address climate change" and "the negative impacts that Iowa farmers and communities have and will continue to experience," the fifth annual Iowa Climate Statement reads.
The group of scientists from 29 colleges and universities say that presidential candidates from both parties have ignored the issue in previous elections, often giving it a backseat to economic and social issues.
Because Iowa is the first state to hold its primary caucus, it's the first state in the nation to show its support for a candidate and its platform, which influences and sets the stage for the rest of the presidential race.
The authors want to use that influence to encourage 2016 presidential contenders to focus on what they believe is one of the most dire issues facing the nation.
Chris Anderson, assistant director of Iowa State University's Climate Science Program, told ThinkProgress that the 2016 presidential debate over climate change will be different from previous elections because there will be more proposed and existing climate policies for candidates to opine on.
Some topics likely to be discussed include the proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulations targeting carbon emissions from power plants, international agreements expected to be established at the upcoming Paris climate talks in December, and the Productions Tax Credit incentive for renewable wind and solar power facilities.
The issue of "how to address climate change is one of the most important choices that a president will make," said David Courard‐Hauri, an associate professor who directs the Environmental Science and Policy Program at Drake University, reported the Quad City Times. "Climate change is affecting Iowans and will continue to affect us in increasingly significant ways. It is not an issue that can be ignored."
"Whether he or she wants to reduce carbon emissions, come up with a plan to cope with expected damages, or ignore the issue and leave the costs to our children, we want to make sure anyone who wants to be president can say specifically how they will deal with climate change," he added.
While Democrats largely back the anthropogenic view held by 97 percent of climate scientists - President Obama recently said climate change poses a greater threat than terrorism - Republicans, on the other hand, have historically remained more skeptical of the risks posed by climate change, some even flatly denying that human emissions have contributed to global warming.
Among Republican presidential contenders, Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are on record saying they don't believe humans have contributed to climate change, while Sen. Rand Paul has said he believes that humans have contributed and greenhouse-gas emissions are harming the environment. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has said that scientific predictions are inaccurate, but he hasn't formed a definitive stance. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson said that climate change is "irrelevant," while former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has said it's an issue he is "concerned about." New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has acknowledged that climate change is real and caused by human activity, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina holds a similar stance. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been called one of the worst, for his track record of actively undermining President Obama's climate policy.
