Elizabeth Edwards gives up Tangerines to fight Global Warming

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0707/No_tangerines_for_you.html

The politics of global warming got very concrete, and oddly difficult, in a meeting with local environmentalists in the coastal town of McClellanville today, where Elizabeth Edwards raised in passing the importance of relying on locally-grown fruit.

"We've been moving back to 'buy local,'" Mrs. Edwards said, outlining a trade policy that "acknowledges the carbon footprint" of transporting fruit.

"I live in North Carolina. I'll probably never eat a tangerine again," she said, speaking of a time when the fruit is reaches the price that it "needs" to be.

Edwards had talked about "sacrifice," at the meeting, but Elizabeth's suggestion illustrated just how difficult it is to sell the specifics of sacrifice.

Asked about her comment immediately after the event, John Edwards avoided the question twice, then said he isn't sure.

"Would I add to the price of food?" he asked. "I'd have to think about that."

UPDATE: Just to be clear, he's not talking about a food tax. The basic point is that any plan that imposes new costs on carbon emissions is going to make anything that's transported long distances with fossil fuels cost more. It is, in a way, a moment of clarity in this debate.

[cosine]

They can have my tangerines when they pry them from my cold, dead hands! 

[Ben]

Just think, if everyone subscribed to this philosophy, in certain parts of the country we could see scurvy outbreaks again. How cool is that?

How fast would the country grind to a standstill if no one bought anything that wasn't grown or manufactured locally? About a week?

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

I wonder if anyone actually believes she'd give up anything?

[HankB]

I wonder if the lumber for her 30,000 (THIRTY THOUSAND!) square foot mansion was grown, cut, and milled locally, with careful replanting of the logged timber?

Me, I'm willing to give up lima beans, brussle sprouts, kohlrabi, and poi. 

[Vile Nylons]

What is she going to do about toilet paper?

[mountainclmbr]

It is a well-known fact that exhaling releases CO2. If these people want to really convince me that they are serious they can stop exhaling.

[Paddy]

Well, we all have to do our part.  I gave up okra.

[wmenorr67]

What is she going to do about toilet paper?

She is going to use Sheryl Crow's one square method.

[mountainclmbr]

I wonder if the reduced demand for tangerines caused ships to dump them into the ocean off the coast of California. If these tangerines were eaten by squid, it could cause them to grow to super proportions, like when Pop-Eye eats spinich.

[Brad Johnson]

I plan on giving up brussel sprouts ... if I ever start liking them.

Brad