Lead lobbyist for the Sierra Club: "Climate ... seems to have become a dirty word"

Wind seems knocked out of Obama's climate agenda - USATODAY.com

"Everybody is rethinking their priorities," says Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group. He says it was a "mistake" for environmentalists to focus single-mindedly on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Rather, he says, they need to pitch their concerns as "kitchen table" issues that directly affect people. For example, he cites the presence of the estrogen-like chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, in food packaging. "That's personal to them. Climate is not," he says.

"Climate ... seems to have become a dirty word," says Melinda Pierce, lead lobbyist for the Sierra Club. She says environmentalists need to seek smaller, specific victories. "If we talk electric cars," she says, "people find that appealing."