Ken Bone Becomes Famous, Though Not For Asking A Non-Climate Question

The second 2016 Presidential debate just finished and a new meme is emergent: #KenBone.

Sadly, Ken Bone is more likely to be remembered for his red sweater, disposable camera, and other attributes rather than the substance of his question:

ANDERSON COOPER

We have one more question from Ken Bone about energy policy. Ken?

AUDIENCE MEMBER

What steps will your energy policy take to meet our energy needs while at the same time remaining environmentally friendly and minimizing job loss for fossil power plant workers?

• Yet another debate has passed without a direct question related to climate change ... as if it is some form of unimportant, minor issue with minimal public interest and even less difference between the two presidential candidates.
• The moderators mentioned the online questions, pulled up a relatively low question and ignored multiple (much) higher ranking climate/clean-energy questions.
  • Even as one of the moderators was co-host of a documentary in 2007, nearly TEN YEARS AGO, that focused on climate change and has reported on climate issues. Okay, Anderson Cooper, time to answer a question: Why the climate silence?
• With all due respect to Mr. Bone, this certainly seems like a question that might have come from a fossil-fuel lobbying group: "meet energy needs ... environmentally-friendly ... minimize job loss for fossil power plant workers...".
  • Seriously, "minimize job loss for fossil power plant workers" only occurs with the following:
    • Enacting policies that dissuade automation reducing numbers of workers required per kilowatt hour produced.
    • Doubling down on a system and policies that ignores externalities (e.g., pollution & health/climate impacts) with increased subsidies for polluting fossil fuels.
  • And ...

• Donald Trump
  • Filled with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and multiple factual errors
    • Notably: "There is a thing called clean coal." To be blunt, talking about "clean coal" is like talking about "healthy cigarettes". In some fantasy land, mythical "clean coal" might exist and in some better future it might come to be, but -- at this time and for the foreseeable future -- there is no such thing.
  • Lays out -- in short -- an agenda to assure frying the planet's ability to support human civilization through doubling-down on fossil-foolish policies.
• Hillary Clinton
  • Primarily a fact-based discussion
    • Some specific factual errors.
      • Such as asserting US "energy independence" when there are still significant oil imports.
  • Wrongly continuing a line of natural gas as a legitimate "bridge fuel".
    • This might have seemed reasonable a decade or so ago for someone serious about climate change and a clean energy future but not any more. We now know is simply wrong.
  • Generally committed to continue -- and accelerate -- nation's movement toward a clean energy future.
  • Mentioned Climate Change!
    • "I have a comprehensive energy policy but it really does include fighting climate change because I think that is a serious problem"

• Even climate-aware moderators aren't asking climate questions as debate climate silence continues.
  • Okay, no surprise, but telling ... isn't it?
• If you care about climate action, you must vote for Hillary Clinton.
  • From supporting the Paris Accord to plans to help miners to solar panels to ..., when it comes to climate change, Hillary Clinton has many good (even some great) policy concepts ...
    • And, her campaign chief -- John Podesta -- is probably the best senior 'inside' person on climate in the United States ... if his influence continues into the West Wing ...
  • Donald Trump would be catastrophic for efforts to #ActOnClimate --
    • we don't have 4-8 years to throw away ...
• Post election day, the work won't be done ...
  • whether on natural gas or otherwise, President Hillary Clinton will need to be pushed (along with Congress, Governors, State Legislatures, Mayors, Business leaders, ...) to move toward stronger, fact-based, more effective climate action and policy.

Hey, @RealDonaldTrump, "#CleanCoal is like healthy cigarettes". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4-jpOq3ytU ... #Coal@Debates https://twitter.com/ClimateDesk/status/785306570427031552 ...