Senator McCain's Early Climate Leadership Brought Lasting Results

A statement by EESI Board Chair Jared Blum reflecting on Senator John McCain's early bipartisan leadership on climate change and its influence on business, state policy, and national security perspectives.

• Senator John McCain acted as a lead sponsor for the first major bipartisan Senate legislation addressing global warming, collaborating with Senator Lieberman and others. This effort provided a credible foundation for mainstream policymakers and businesses to reconsider climate change, renewable energy, and energy efficiency as national priorities.
• McCain's public concern regarding climate change influenced various sectors: petroleum-based industries recognized the issue's persistence; energy efficiency industries highlighted their role in CO2 reduction; and states, including those with Republican governors, began updating building codes and regulatory approaches to reduce emissions.
• Several business organizations shifted their approach to CO2 emissions due to the climate discourse. The Business Council for Sustainable Energy focused on educating forums about reduction technologies, while the American Gas Association, American Chemistry Council, and National Solid Waste Management Association began inventorying methods to reduce their industry emissions profiles.
• The U.S. national defense establishment now views climate change as a security risk, a perspective aligned with McCain's concerns. This is codified in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which identifies climate change as a direct threat to U.S. national security.

APA

Blum, J. (2018). Senator McCain's Early Climate Leadership Brought Lasting Results. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/senator-mccains-early-climate-leadership-brought-lasting-results

Chicago

Blum, Jared. Senator McCain's Early Climate Leadership Brought Lasting Results. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2018. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/senator-mccains-early-climate-leadership-brought-lasting-results.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Blum |first1=Jared |title=Senator McCain's Early Climate Leadership Brought Lasting Results |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=31 August 2018 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/senator-mccains-early-climate-leadership-brought-lasting-results |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{blum2018senator, author = {Blum, Jared}, title = {{Senator McCain's Early Climate Leadership Brought Lasting Results}}, publisher = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/senator-mccains-early-climate-leadership-brought-lasting-results}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }