Editors' Note

• Author: Marcel De Armas/Maria Vanko
• Position: Editor-in-Chief/Editor-in-Chief
• Pages: 01

Page 1

Modern elections have found a new issue upon which to engage voters. Over the past few years, electorates around the globe are voting in response to environmental issues in general and climate change in particular. The impact of these elections will have profound effects far into the future, they will decide when and how we decide to cap carbon emissions, how we will supply our future energy needs-wind, hydro, nuclear-if we should pursue environmental restoration projects, or provide greater protections for our coastal areas and marine resources.

With an eye to the future, Sustainable Development Law & Policy decided to focus on the direction domestic environmental policy is taking and should take. We asked all presidential candidates for a brief statement stating their priorities and hopes for the nation's environmental policy if they were elected president. In this issue you will find Senator Edwards' and Governor Romney's responses, the only two candidates to reply to our request. In addition, we have placed the link to each presidential candidate's website that states their environmental and/or energy policy.

Australians recently voted for a new Prime Minister in an election coined the "Climate Change Election." Perhaps the changing climate will similarly motivate Americans in 2008. With less than a year until the United States decides who its next president will be, the American electorate will soon show how committed it is to supporting the environment and combating climate change. We hope this issue of Sustainable Development Law & Policy serves as a useful tool for those in the legal community, policy makers, and the public in general when making their decisions for the future of this country and the world.