Bush did not view reducing carbon emissions as a priority; he did endorse clean coal technologies, although these do not have much effect on carbon dioxide. Bush spoke mainly of a different approach to enforcing environmental regulations and establishing national monuments, one that would take greater account of local and industry concerns.
We hope that the last debate next week will give the candidates an opportunity to clarify the issues on which voters should make their decisions. Unfortunately, Lehrer's last question of the evening did not further this goal; by challenging Gore's credibility in a way that gave Bush the first response, he ended the debate in a way that put the vice president at a distinct disadvantage.
Questions of credibility are not the sort that can be resolved in a two-minute debate response; in an election as detail- and number-focused as this, the moderator must take care not to undercut one side's ability to criticize the other's arguments. Next week's debate would best serve the voters by giving them the evidence they need to decide.