South Carolina Impact

 

Coming fast on the heels of the New Hampshire primary, South Carolina's "first-in-the-South" Democratic and Republican primaries will give residents here a great opportunity to impact the national debate on global warming. 

And with nearly 3,000 miles of tidal shoreline and a $15 billion coastal tourism industry, South Carolina is particularly vulnerable to two of the more frightening aspects of global warming:  stronger hurricanes and rising sea levels. 

Fortunately, South Carolina boasts a large and motivated conservation community already campaigning to make global warming a key issue in the primaries.  Actions include enlisting state legislators to sign an open letter to prospective presidential candidates about the need to address global warming; the creation of a Presidential Council on Global warming, which will bring prominent leaders and past donors into on-one-on dialogue with candidates; and a grassroots mobilization effort to ensure that, wherever candidates go, they will encounter South Carolina voters who want answers on global warming.