Election Issues Today

There are many problems facing the new U.S. President, Barack Obama, but perhaps no problem presents more FAR REACHING consequences than climate change. President Obama is in a position to initiate policy changes that will be evaluated not just by the generation now being born, but by the children and grandchildren of the next twenty generations; indeed, if the human race even survives another twenty generations, about 400 years

Affect on arctic and antarctic areas: Melting of the Arctic icecap will result in a true “northern passage,” a summer time ice-free route from Europe to Asia and to the west coast of the United States. This could occur in a couple of years; even a year-around route will eventually be possible.

Affect on agriculture: Temperature extremes affect all sorts of crops that are now grown in America’s food belt. Drought will drastically reduce corn and other summer agriculture crop production. Warmer temperatures will reduce avocado harvests in California, as well as destroy the wine-growing areas in that State. The desert areas of Africa and Asia and North America will increase in size, further limiting agriculture production.

Affect on marine life: Water temperatures are so critical to habitat, and wild salmon in the Pacific, Lobster off the coast of New England, and Rainbow Trout in southern areas of the USA are all being devastated by warmer waters. Other trout species, like the Bull Trout, are even more sensitive to water temperature variations, and warm water will stress ALL these wild populations into extinction, another blow to the food supply. Jellyfish, which thrive in warmer and more saline waters, are invading coastal areas, evidenced by THOUSANDS of Jellyfish stings, which are increasing each year.

Affect on insect life: Insects will thrive; their range and habitat and diet will expand. Forests are already being destroyed by Spruce Bark Beetles and Pine Bark Beetles which used to be kept in check by cold winters. Hot dry spells also encourage increased breeding of mosquitoes.

Affect on wildlife: Grizzly Bear, Mountain goat and Bighorn sheep are negatively affected by smaller alpine habitats, particularly in the U.S. Glacier National Park area. Polar Bears are dying from lack of food; often resorting to cannibalism. They are also drowning from fatigue as the size and number of ice floes decreases. This situation also negatively affects penguins. Walrus too, are having difficulty with breeding and feeding cubs, and often strand the cubs on small ice floes. Brown Bear become aggressive when hibernation is delayed or shortened due to warm weather and they often become victims of civilization encroachment, and are shot when they seek food.

Enough. You get the idea. What the World and America has lacked in the past ten years is the Political Will to acknowledge the science, accept the evidence, and pay the price that will be required to “slow down” the global climate change process initially, then stop it, then reverse it. This will require GENERATIONS of humans with governments that are willing to change their priorities.

This is the real game of Survival. This is the real “war” to be engaged. There is no room for squabbling over the affairs of politicians, bankers, and the other myriad and trivial pursuits of mankind.

President Obama just completed his first foreign visits since his election. By all accounts he made a positive impression. The entire World looks to the United States for leadership. If the United States does not lead, the World’s governments falter and fumble around, looking for direction. Whether or not the World’s civilizations as we know them survive global climate change may well depend upon the WILLPOWER exhibited by Barack Obama, the U.S. Congress, and the American people and industry over the next EIGHT YEARS.

If nothing is done, it will be TOO LATE. The process of climate change is accelerating in geometric proportions. Some scientists warn that we have already passed the point of no return. Other scientists say that is “alarmist thinking” and they say, “Yes, We Can.” We still have time if we ACT aggressively and in concert with ALL the nations of Planet Earth.