Stefanowski's climate change position makes him unacceptable as governor

Middle Road, Enfield CT

In Connecticut’s gubernatorial race, the Republican nominee, Bob Stefanowski has no real position on climate change. In this respect, he is running as a clone of President Donald Trump. His goal is to appeal to the state’s Trump voters, and this involves dismissing or marginalizing climate change as an issue.

Climate change isn’t mentioned in Stefanowski’s platform, and when asked about his climate position at a public forum, Stefanowski said: “I don’t understand the science of it, but there’s enough data points to know that there is a problem,” the CT News Junkie recently reported. That should sound familiar.

The Republicans, nationally, adopted the “I’m not a scientist” as a dodge to a serious discussion about climate change. This is what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the issue. “What I have said repeatedly is I’m not a scientist,” according to a report in The Hill.

The basics of climate change science is something that every politician -- any citizen -- can and should understand. It’s a lot easier to grasp than tax policy. The “I’m not a scientist” is just a pure evasion.

States can have an impact on climate. Connecticut, for instance, is among 13 states, along with the District of Columbia, to have adopted the stricter California automobile emissions standards. The Trump administration wants to void California’s fuel efficiency standards and set one national standard that will increase greenhouse gas emissions.

Parking lot, Enfield

Connecticut “has a long history of strong, bipartisan climate action,” according to a history of climate change action by the Yale School of Public Health, which goes on to say: “In 1990, Connecticut was the first state to pass global warming legislation acknowledging greenhouse gases drive climate change and calling for the state to reduce its CO2 emissions in response using energy efficiency, transportation, and building measures.”

Stefanowski’s opponent, Democrat Ned Lamont does recognize the issue and has set a plan for 100 percent clean energy by 2050. Achievable? Difficult for sure. But see the First Man, the new movie about the moon landing, which recalls what President John Kennedy said about goals:

“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.”

Kennedy's second point that the “goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills” -- is the one to think about. By setting hard goals we focus our energies and bring out the best in ourselves.

Stefanowski is using Trump’s bottom feeding strategy on what is the paramount issues of our time: What future will we leave for our children? In our present direction, the earth may warm by 7 degrees by 2100, the coral reefs will be dead, the seas will rise, the food chain imperiled -- the list of horrors is real.

Candidates running for state office need to address climate change. Stefanowski’s refusal to deal with climate change says he’s not ready to lead to this state.