…and this is why. The Great Lakes. Canadians and Americans share massive amounts of fresh water that we rely upon heavily. Have you noticed that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have very neatly crafted statements about what they call the environment in their election platforms? These people discuss climate change only, as if our planet is about to burn up and if we all we need to do is stop using gasoline and we will save the planet. While I agree that the over usage of gasoline by North Americans needs to be addressed, and climate change is an environmental issue we can’t ignore but there other important environmental concerns. The are a number of environmental stressors that humans have placed upon the earth since the late 1800s that are completely new to our planet and the life that inhabits it. I will spare you the carbon emission speech and jump into a few of the fundamentals:1. Species extinction is currently occurring faster than it ever has in our planet’s history (according to the fossil record) and we are re-distributing non-native plants and animals by the hour to new environments. This puts way too much evolutionary pressure on mother nature, God, whatever you prefer to call it, and will ultimately result in a collapse in biodiversity. There are no number of dollars that can bring back the hundreds of species lost each year.
2. All of the contaminants that are present in our soils, water and air have been accumulating in our bodies and the bodies of the plants and animals we eat. Even when you eat organic foods that are truly chemical free, the chances of them being grown in purely virgin soils are 1/1,000,000,000. It is our constant exposure to all of these contaminants that is causing ill-health in people and many of the abovementioned species extinctions. This costs us all money – either to our health care systems or out of our own pockets when we visit the doctor.
3. Diverting water-ways to make massive dams, canals and other notions of progress have contributed to the pollution of water and, oddly enough, billions of dollars wasted every year cleaning and repairing flooded communities. This is my advice for any human looking to survive and propagate their race: live near clean water, don’t live on a flood plain unless you build a home that is “flood-proof” and above all, don’t live in an area that has diverted water unnaturally. When the system collapses or is over-burdened, the water is vengeful.
When it comes to these issues, our Great Lakes are no exception – non-native species invasion, loss of native species due to over pollution and other unidentified stresses are still ever present. Two great lakes’ municipalities have suffered deaths from improperly treated water (Milwaukee and Walkerton), fish are still unsafe to eat and the presence of persistent pollutants such as PCBs, pesticides and mercury are still a threat to human health. Recently we have detected new chemicals like pharmaceuticals and compounds that leach from plastics in the lakes and in some cases our drinking water. There are hardly any municipal beaches that are safe to swim in. The environment costs the government thousands of millions of dollars every year. How? In research grants, in health care, in disaster relief… so why are you voting for candidates that believe climate change is the only environmental concern when the costs are so high? Don’t ask me.
I wonder why Barack Obama states “I don't believe that climate change is just an issue that's convenient to bring up during a campaign. I believe it's one of the greatest moral challenges of our generation.” (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/energy/) when his only environmental platform is about the conveniently hot topic of climate change? Are his morals only focused on carbon? I also wonder why Hillary Clinton’s plans for "Smart Grid Cities” and the "Connie Mae" program didn’t ever pop-up on the agenda while her husband was in power? Didn’t she ever talk to him? Hillary’s revolutionary ideas to address “global warming” are not new and compared to the rest of the world Americans look like they imagine they will be living like the Jetsons while they actually live like the Flintstones.
I know there are other important issues the candidates have to address, like the war in Iraq and the looming recession (don’t even get me started!), so I understand if some of their platforms are weak, but my personal feeling is that this issue is too important to put half your effort into. The Great Lakes are a precious international resource and as responsible citizens, Americans and Canadians are the rightful representatives of that resource.
Recommended Reading, Links and Resources:
Our Great Lakes (see page 5 for a short history of the lakes)
The International Association of Great Lakes Research
Experts Seek Answers on Water Footprint from PhysOrg.com
(AP) -- It's not only our carbon footprint we should worry about. Experts are looking for solutions to our growing water footprint, as urban populations explode and the demand for biofuels adds stress on water for farmland.
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