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    Climate Change: The Real New Hampshire Story
    By Adam Markham
    The Telegraph UK

    Wednesday 09 January 2008

    The result of New Hampshire's first in the nation primary is likely to be a watershed for the debate on climate change in America.

    The press hasn't reported on it but the real story from last night's election may be how important global warming was for the voters of New Hampshire and in particular, for John McCain's turnaround win.

    He's a pro-Iraq war Republican whose campaign was all but written off six months ago, but alone among the Republicans he has a passion for the climate issue and a plan to address it.

    This gave him huge appeal to the Independents that he needed to pull-off a win in this state.

    Independents can vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary in New Hampshire - one of the few states where they can, which is why the primary is so important, as it helps show which candidates can bring new support to a party. Polling last November showed that 84 per cent of independents think climate change is a serious issue.

    Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both also drew strength from their very public support for urgent climate action, in an election where health care, education and the economy were top tier issues for Democrats.

    After moving from the UK I lived in New Hampshire for a few years and I've been up in this small Northeastern state a lot during this campaign. Global warming really matters to people here. New Hampshire is an outdoor state and people pay attention to the weather.

    Because of climate change spring is coming earlier, summers are hotter and drier with worse air quality, and there has been a big increase in serious flooding in recent years.

    Of biggest concern is the ski industry, the state's most important source of tourism dollars. The length of the snow season is shortening every year and that's really grabbed people's attention.

    So no surprise then that with polling day being a day of record-breaking warmth with temperatures soaring to a balmy19°C in some parts of the state, global warming was on the minds of voters.

    During the long drawn-out two year presidential primary campaign in New Hampshire it's been apparent to any candidate that cared to listen that climate change could turn out to be a defining issue of this election season.

    Back in March last year 164 of the 220 towns in New Hampshire passed a resolution calling for federal action on climate change, and since then the candidates have been asked about what they plan to do almost everywhere they go. There are yard signs everywhere, questions have been asked at almost every candidate event and there is a real buzz on the ground.

    When the candidates started visiting the state more than two years ago, most of them didn't mention climate in their speeches at all, but during the last few months they've all had to address it as question after question has been thrown at them.

    Both Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton have said they are making climate change a priority and both support a mandatory national cap-and-trade system to cut carbon emissions.

    I saw Mrs Clinton speak in a high school cafeteria three days ago and there she committed to ensuring that by the end of her first year in office the US would have helped lead the international effort to secure a post-Kyoto agreement at the UN.

    Mr Obama has said he would implement an auction system under cap-and-trade that would prevent windfall profits going to power companies as happened in Europe, and will provide revenue that can be used to boost renewable energy. Last night, in his concession speech Mr Obama, pledged to "free this nation from the tyranny of oil and save our planet from a point of no return."

    As the candidates decamp to new political pastures for the next round of primaries in South Carolina, Michigan and Nevada, it's clear that the message from New Hampshire is that a real plan for presidential leadership on climate change is of potentially crucial importance to both Democrats, and perhaps for the first time, Republican, voters too.

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