While so many folks hold out hope that Al Gore will (eventually) throw his hat into the ring, please don't count me among them. My favorite Democratic candidate is already distancing himself from the field by carving out a very clear position on global warming and what needs to be done about it.

The past week's news was chock full of stories about John Edwards' pledge to run a carbon neutral campaign.

So what? Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack was actually the first Presidential candidate to stake that claim, though he recently dropped out of the race. And recent scrutiny over Al Gore's carbon neutrality has made the claim less than politically useful.

Indeed, carbon neutrality isn't what we need our politicians to focus on anyway. Real, measurable reductions in CO2 emissions need to be addressed. And John Edwards seems to be doing just that.

At a recent rally at Howard University, Courtney Fryxell, a member of the Youth Climate Movement, asked Edwards a very pointed question: will you commit to 80% carbon reductions by 2050? Without hesitation, Edwards answered yes.

The specificity of Fyrxell's question echoes the Step It Up 2007 campaign's single point of focus: to get Congress to pass legislation that will reduce CO2 emissions in the U.S. by 80% by 2050. To date, nearly 950 Step It Up events are planned across America on April 14th.

I wonder where John Edwards will show up on April 14th? So, too, do I wonder how many of other contenders will try to draft off of Edwards' coattails that day?

Stay tuned.

Carbon Neutral Journal's news is brought to you by High Country Linen Service.

Popularity: 12%