Diverging sharply on climate change, Schapiro and Ward vie for NH House

Oct. 14—Two-term N.H. Rep. Joe Schapiro sees climate change as an existential threat that must be solved. His challenger, Fred Ward, says it's unclear how great a problem it is and questions suggested solutions.

Ward, 92, a Republican, and Schapiro, 72, a Democrat, are running in the Nov. 8 general election to represent Cheshire County House District 16, which takes in Keene's Ward 2, as well as Alstead, Gilsum, Harrisville, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Roxbury, Stoddard and Sullivan.

Schapiro, of Keene, a retired social worker, said New Hampshire is far behind other nearby states in promoting the use of renewable energy as a way to reduce global warming.

According to NASA, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil puts carbon dioxide in the air, which traps more of the sun's warmth. This has caused temperatures to increase, sea levels to rise and ice sheets to melt.

"I have children and I have grandchildren, and I can't understand anybody who isn't adamant about dealing with this as quickly as we can," Schapiro said.

"I think the environment is huge, and I think it's an area where New Hampshire has been recalcitrant."

Bills that would have encouraged use of more renewable energy in the state have either been vetoed by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu or rejected by the GOP-controlled Legislature, he said, adding that he hopes for eventual bipartisan agreement on the issue.

"There's a possibility that people will kind of see what's happening with storms like the hurricane in Florida and ice in the Arctic melting, and it's possible people will come around to say, 'We have a cataclysmic crisis and we have to do something about it.' "

Ward, a retired meteorologist who lives in Stoddard, said it's possible a small increase of "a few tenths of a degree" in global temperatures has occurred, but contends that doesn't warrant major changes in the way power is produced.

"You don't make a radical change in something when you don't know what is going to happen," he said.

Mankind has actually caused the Earth's global average temperature to increase by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since the pre-industrial period, and it is currently increasing at 0.36 degrees per decade, according to NASA.

Wind turbines and solar cells have been suggested as alternatives to fossil fuels, but Ward questions how this would work during times when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining. He also said large-scale storage of energy from wind and solar may not be feasible.

Also, many people would object to the aesthetics of huge wind turbines on mountain ridges across the state, as would be required to greatly increase this type of power, Ward said.

"I'm looking over there at Mount Monadnock," he said. "It's beautifully positioned to take about 50 windmills running all around the summit. There's no words I could say to describe the reaction to that, but that's what it would take. Now do you really want to do that, even if it works?"

He said that if clean energy was the priority, it would make more sense to increase use of nuclear power, rather than to scatter huge wind turbines across New Hampshire.

Energy is one facet of what Ward calls his "three E's campaign," which also includes the environment and education.

He said he and his wife, N.H. Sen. Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard, support the goals of the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock, which has a mission of promoting understanding and respect for the natural environment.

"We have been environmentalists for all our lives," he said. "We believe you should have a nice environment."

Ward was one of the people who founded the Lionheart Classical Academy Chartered School in Peterborough, which opened this year.

"We're trying to teach kids to read and write — the three R's — reading, writing and arithmetic," he said. "We're not against doing other things, but if you can't read, write and do simple arithmetic, there's not a whole lot you can learn.

"We'd rather not try to replace [traditional] public schools, but we had no choice."

He pointed to assessment tests showing many young people don't have a good grasp of basic subjects.

According to the state education department, assessment tests this year showed only about half of 3rd-graders in New Hampshire are proficient in math and English.

While Ward would like to see more state support for charter schools, Schapiro said the state needs to provide more funding for public education in general.

"We have a constitutional responsibility to fund public education," he said. "We have not met that responsibility. The result is backbreaking property taxes, which burden seniors and those on fixed incomes, and a 'baked in' inequality between students in property rich and property poor towns."

He also said New Hampshire does a poor job of funding higher education, creating some of the highest tuition costs in the country.

Schapiro is on the House's Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee.

He was the prime sponsor of bipartisan legislation, signed into law by Sununu, that will provide dental care to adults on Medicaid. He said this will bring increased dignity and decreased pain to 85,000 people who could qualify for the care.

Schapiro said his priority now is working to encourage more dentists to participate in Medicaid.

New Hampshire has opted in to an expanded system of Medicaid, which will expire at the end of next year if not renewed.

"There are different ideas on how to fund that and what new provisions will be included," he said. "It's important to me and essential to the state that we continue to have expanded Medicaid."

He would also like to see increases in Medicaid rates to encourage more medical professionals to participate in the program.

"These rates are lower in New Hampshire than surrounding states, and that creates problems in our state such as at community mental health centers and county nursing homes."

Rick Green can be reached at rgreen@keenesentinel.com or 603-355-8567.