Congratulations, Senator Obama. You and your family have much to celebrate today. Your victory is historic and symbolic, but more importantly it is real. You will be President of the United States of America. You will be “the most powerful man in the world,” and the eyes of the world are on you. We’ll be looking for those changes you promised. Specifically around this blog, we’ll be looking for the changes you make in the environment.

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In an open letter (pdf), the Laureates cite the politicization of science under the Bush administration, particularly in the fields of heath and climate, saying that “vital parts of our country’s scientific enterprise have been damaged by stagnant or declining federal support,” adding that through an advisory process “distorted by political considerations” America’s “once dominant position in the scientific world has been shaken and our prosperity has been placed at risk.”

Despite John McCain’s claim that he is the true agent of change for all that has gone wrong under George Bush, both he and his remarkably incurious and misinformed (at best) running mate show how they plan to continue Bush’s appalling lack of regard for science; combining  an inexcusable ignorance of the importance of basic scientific research, with the morally bereft penchant for using science as yet another divisive wedge to promulgate their politics of intolerance, fear, and derision - aiming straight at the lowest common denominator in the body politic.

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Water is the New Terrorism

It was often highlighted after the infamous tragedies of September 11th that terrorism was hardly discussed or barely even mentioned during the campaigning that led up to the 2000 election (Al vs. W). Searching for a way the horrible acts could have been avoided led to a lot of finger pointing and mudslinging on both sides (that I won’t get into again here).

I bring this up only because I see a similar looming issue (crisis in some areas of the US) that is not being given the attention that I am confident it deserves. An issue that I see us looking back on–as we did terrorism–and thinking: “How could this have been prevented?” or “Look at the campaign of ‘08. The two candidates hardly mentioned water pollution and conservation issues.”

The two most notable offerings were answers to specific questions–one from Science Debate 2008 and one from DISCOVER.

When asked by DISCOVER contributor Thomas Kostigen,

Ensuring an adequate water supply is a huge issue, arguably a bigger challenge than energy. Recent estimates say we are going to have to increase our supply of freshwater by 20 percent in the next 20 years to meet world demand. Two-thirds of the world’s population will experience water shortages by 2025. Meanwhile, the Clean Water Act hasn’t been updated since 1972. What plans do you have for addressing the freshwater issue?

here is how our candidates responded:

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Video source: NPR

Kids are invited to vote in their very own Presidential Election at CurrClick! Educate your kids about the election process and make a statement about the powerful voice of the children!

Polls open on October 1st and will remain open until November 4th.

I checked the tally so far, and McCain is the leader by a big margin. Help close the gap by voting for the candidates that are focused on greening our country and waging peace!

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<clicks Delete Post>

Okay, you say he’s not the Vice President. I say, yet. It’s good news to me. Much ado has been made in the direction of Sen. Obama’s experience. And while I don’t think the Senator quite has the inner propeller beanie that his opponents have painted him with, I myself question his ability. But Biden comes with mad experience. As a sixth term Senator - that’s 34 in people years - he can assuage a lot of those concerns. Also as Chair of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, that’s just one more thorn he pulls from the Obama camp’s side.

Weighing in with a lifetime score of 84-percent from the The League of Conservation Voters, he shows real environmental cred. Not surprising, during his 2008 presidential run, he had this to say at a rally in South Carolina:

“If I could wave a wand, and the Lord said I could solve one problem, I would solve the energy crisis. That’s the single most consequential problem we can solve. It’s what you have to do to get greenhouse gases under control.”

Along with energy security, he’s been a strong voice on how our own accountability factors into the climate crisis. Instead of fairytale solutions, he calls upon us to clean up our own mess:

“I personally believe that the single most important step we can take to resume a leadership role in international climate-change efforts would be to make real progress toward a domestic emissions-reduction regime. For too long we have abdicated the responsibility to reduce our own emissions, the largest single source of the problem we face today. We have the world’s largest economy, with the highest per-capita emissions. Rather than leading by example, we have retreated from international negotiations.” He said before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

And before you whip out your Al Gore-shapped measuring stick, take a longer look at his scorecard:

• Cosponsor of the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, penned both by Sen. Boxer and Sen. Sanders.
• Calls for raising the fuel-economy standard to 40 mpg by 2017.
• Opposes subsidizing technology and practices that would only worsen global warming.
• Introduced a bill to promote the use of CFLs, unlike that other Senator.
• Active supporter of the U.S. participating in the U.N. climate negotiations.

Is he the absolute greenist candidate Obama could have picked - maybe, maybe not. But I bet he can spell potato(e).

Related Posts:

Potential McCain Running Mate Florida Governor Charlie Crist Has Green Cred
Obama and Ethanol: Is it Just About Winning Votes?
The 5 Best Presidential Candidates to Address Climate Change

Image source: Joe Biden’s Senate website

But the 2008 presidential election is too momentous to simply throw up your hands and flip a coin — or to allow yourself to be swayed by a strictly emotional reaction to the candidates. The next president’s administration will have to deal with a slew of problems facing the country, and global climate change is just one of them. If you care about environmental issues and want your political leaders to take the lead on addressing the root causes of environmental degradation that have gone unmitigated during the last several years, you’re going to want to vote for a candidate who puts the environment at the top of his or her agenda — right up there with the Iraq war, the economy, health care, and immigration reform.

So how do you find out which candidates support the environmental issues that matter to you? It’s hasn’t been easy to tell from mainstream press coverage because the environment has gotten pushed to the back burner by more hot-button issues during the campaign. But a number of online sources have done the homework for us, and offer helpful side-by-side comparisons of the environmental platforms on offer.

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On a more activist note, PM also has an editorial op-ed piece about Corn Biofuel Hype that does take a political position about the recently passed energy bill and the misguided emphasis it places on corn ethanol.

“It’s great that our politicians have discovered the need for new energy technologies. But it appears that Washington is determined to put its money—our money—on the wrong horse. Right now, researchers are studying a host of energy solutions, including hydrogen, high-mileage diesel, plug-in hybrids, radical reductions in vehicle weight and cellulosic ethanol (made from cornstalks, switchgrass or other nonfood crops). It is far too soon to say which of these holds the most promise. But, instead of promoting experimentation and competition to find the best solutions, politicians seem ready to declare ethanol the winner. As a result, our nation could wind up with the worst of both worlds: an “alternative” energy that is enormously expensive yet barely saves a gallon of oil.”

This article originally appeared at EcoGeek.org