Senator McCain's Early Climate Leadership Brought Lasting Results

The statement by EESI Board Chair Jared Blum asserts that Senator John McCain's early efforts to sponsor bipartisan legislation and lead Senate hearings on global warming created a benchmark for prescience and gave credibility to the business case for renewable energy and energy efficiency. This leadership influenced petroleum-based industries, energy efficiency sectors, and Republican-led states to consider CO2 reduction. The document further links McCain's concerns to the current recognition of climate change as a direct threat to U.S. national security, as codified in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act.

• Senator McCain's role as a lead sponsor of the first major bipartisan Senate legislation on global warming established a level of prescience that current Republican Senate colleagues have not matched.
• McCain's public commentary, proposed legislation, and hearings provided a credible basis for mainstream policymakers and businesses to prioritize CO2 reduction, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.
• The influence of McCain's leadership extended to various sectors: petroleum industries recognized the persistence of the climate issue, energy efficiency industries integrated CO2 reduction into economic benefit calculations, and Republican-led states began upgrading building codes.
• The U.S. national defense establishment now views climate change as a direct threat to national security, a perspective reflected in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act.

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} }