Why Obama and Romney aren't talking about climate change

The two presidential candidates agree that the world is getting hotter and that human activity is partly to blame, though you wouldn't know it from the 2012 race

Because Ohio is perhaps the most crucial battleground state, Obama and Romney are wary of seeming anti-coal in a state sometimes referred to as Coal Country.
(Image credit: Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

"Scientists warn the planet is facing a global climate crisis that could result in unprecedented sea-level rise, drought, and food shortages," says Andrew Restuccia at Politico. "But you wouldn't know it from listening to the presidential debates." For the first time since 1988, neither candidate or their running mates talked about climate change or global warming in any of their four face-offs, and none of them were asked about it. The topic is also largely absent from the campaign trail: President Obama only occasionally brings it up, preferring to talk about the promise of green energy, and Mitt Romney only talks about climate change as a way to criticize Obama's policies. In September, the candidates told a group of science organizations that they believe that the earth is getting warmer, thanks in part to human activity, and that this is a big problem. So why is neither one talking about the issue?

1. All the solutions are politically toxic

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