Senator Cardin believes that UMBC is positioned to solve the biggest 3 problems of our generation: 1) the lack of affordable healthcare, 2) the lack of affordable and effective education, and 3) the seemingly competing interests of environmental health and energy security.

In a speech with UMBC faculty and students today, Cardin addressed the third problem.

According to Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, saving both the environment and the economy is not an impossible task. Cardin is currently pushing a global climate change bill which he hopes to share with the international community by December of this year during an international environmental summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. According to Cardin, the bill “is worth the fight and I hope to win.” Cardin hopes to see the bill accomplishing significant changes by 2009. He also cited a similar bill passed by Europe that jumpstarted Europeans’ ailing economy.

Much of Cardin’s crusade against climate change has been centered upon his push for clean energy and increased employment of cap and trade initiatives. Cardin is also strong supporter of algae ethanol. Cardin believes that the US government should invest lots of money into algae ethanol research. This would be modeled after a similar investment which was made upon the founding of the oil industry during which government support made petroleum cheap enough to become a viable fuel.

Cardin continued by discussing his fondness for cap and trade policies explaining that such systems generate tons of money for the government. Many businesses also support cap and trade policies as they enable businesses to make money – mere regulation would not. Although both Democrats and Republicans support cap and trade programs, either side of the aisle disagrees about where the money generated should be invested. Republicans want to give the money to consumers while Democrats hope to spend 100% of this money in government programs. Cardin hopes to find a balance between these two extremes. Such a middle would include offering merely transitional assistance to businesses developing to become more environmentally friendly. Without government assistance Cardin believes that such a “green transition” would hurt businesses and consumers.

The senator also suggested constructing more efficient energy grids, reforming the nuclear industry’s regulation process, and finding safer ways to store used nuclear fuel. He was skeptical of clean coal technology (which involves the capture and storage of carbon waste in rocks) and the coal industry’s attempts to market themselves as environmentally friendly, though agreed that the coal industry is too big in America to be ignored.

Later Cardin spoke in support of global carbon caps. Nevertheless, he did not answer how the global community would find the balance between the amounts we would allow industrializing nations to pollute when setting these caps (We polluted the earth during our period of industrialization – thus already compromising the environment for those alive today. Some argue, currently industrializing countries deserve this same privilege to pollute.) AND these nations’ obligation to keeping the environment clean.

Additionally, such carbon caps would be enforced by international law. Cardin’s biggest fear seems to be the unfair economic comparative advantage that countries who pollute will gain. Manufacturers in these countries won’t have to worry about spending money to develop clean/waste reducing technologies, thus they would be able to produce goods more cheaply.

In order to grab the attention of large groups of people regarding the climate change issue, Cardin stresses correct framing. That is, stressing the jobs that can be created, especially in the clean energy sector, through attempts to control climate change.

Cardin ended on a hopeful note explaining that although China is at the forefront of some aspects of the environmental movement (i.e. innovations dealing with cleaner coal burning), America is positioned to lead the global climate change movement. Americans are innovative people and our achievement of putting the first man on the moon and creating the first nuclear weapons are testimonies of this said Cardin.