Brookings Opportunity 08: Global Warming

May 18, 2007— -- What is an election about? Is it about personality and leadership? Or is it about the issues that will challenge a president?

There are critical issues facing the nation -- war, security, immigration, global warming, health care, the economy, the deficit and 2008 election of 2008 will have a profound impact on the political landscape.

And so the Brookings Institution, a think-tank based in Washington, D.C., has launched Opportunity 08, a new project to provide ideas and information on a broad range of public policy topics facing America's next president.

ABC News is partnering with Opportunity 08 to bring you coverage offering depth and insight on issues key to this campaign.

A New Political Climate for Global Warming

On Tuesday, May 22, the ABC-Brookings Opportunity 08 project will sponsor a discussion of climate change and energy security featuring three Brookings experts and four veteran advisors from the Clinton, Edwards, McCain, and Obama campaigns.

The format will be a wide-ranging conversation about energy and global warming, which is now a key issue in the 2008 presidential campaign, sparking a larger debate about energy use and provoking policy prescriptions ranging from diplomacy to conservation to investing in research and harnessing market forces.

Brookings Managing Director William Antholis reminds us that not too long ago, a politician could get away with crying "complexity" or "uncertainty" on the topic of climate change. Not any more.

Rick Klein, author of The Note and senior political reporter for ABC News, will moderate the discussion of how climate change will affect the 2008 presidential race.

Participants include John Raidt, long-time advisor to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., James Kvaal, policy director for former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., Denis McDonough, an advisor to Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Todd Stern, policy advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

This distinguished panel will examine how the issues of global warming, energy security and the environment can -- and should -- affect next year's election.

The event will also include Brookings Managing Director William Antholis, an expert on the international politics of climate change; David Sandalow, Brookings Energy & Environment Scholar; and Gregg Easterbrook, a visiting fellow at Brookings.

How YOU Can Get Involved

To register for this or any Brookings Opportunity 08 event, click here .

And for more information on the issue of global warming from Brookings, click here.