BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Environment McCain or Obama on Environmental Issues?

Who has the better understanding and commitment to environmental issues, John McCain or Barack Obama?

As far as I can tell, the environment is of much less concern to some - and perhaps to most - because the price of gas is adding to the economic crisis.

During the Depression, didn't they ration goods and recycle rather than prioritizing everything upside down in response to what seems like our voracious appetite for power?

A nuclear power plant was built close to where I grew up when I was away at college. The workmen who built it used to tell us that it was not their concern, they would go back to their homes and not think about the plant when it was finished. I never considered moving back home because I did not trust that the plant was safe in the long term, and regret losing track of the people who did choose to remain in their hometowns.

Offshore drilling was a newer technology then, and I can't think of any way that people who lived near either the nuclear power plant or oil platforms benefit any more than those whose neighborhoods were not affected.

I pray that whoever is elected will be more considerate of the environment than we seem to have been lately.

Pam W
SE of Seattle

When I was a girl, 50 years ago, we had very smoggy cities, wild bird eggs going too thin to hatch because of the use of DDT, pesticides that stay effective for 60+ years, and litter on the highways beyond belief. We had numerous species going extinct including whooping cranes, alligators, hawks, and eagles. Today, none of our cities are identified solely by their smog production. We have banned DDT. Pesitcides are, as a matter of course, strictly regulated. Litter on highways is way better, and all the species I've mentioned have made come-backs along with wolves, black bears, and a few others.

There's always room for improvement. We will always have work to do; but, from my perspective at almost 60, things look--and breathe--a whole lot better than they did so many years ago.

Overall, I think Obama is more concerned with the environmental impact of our actions, and seems more committed to developing the alternative transportation infrastructure that we need to help improve the air quality. I live in an area that gets inversions, and with the higher price of gas this summer inducing people to drive less, I saw a HUGE improvement in the air quality. Now that the prices are dropping, I am a bit concerned that people will regress to more inefficient patterns, even if not immediately. (It's what happened in the '70's, or rather, afterwards.)

BTW, I would much prefer a nuclear power plant to a coal power plant in my neighborhood! The safeguards have improved dramatically, but "clean coal" is, at this point in time, an oxymoron.

I'm also concerned about the chemicals in our water supply -- all the drugs that people take, get excreted and find their way into the water supply. The city water purification does NOT remove those things.

I think everyone must be concerned towards the environmental issues it is not for an individual but for all of us that we must take care of our environment avoiding the polluting elements that can affect our ecosystem very badly.

Hi Friend ,
I live in an area that gets inversions, and with the higher price of gas this summer inducing people to drive less, I saw a HUGE improvement in the air quality. Now that the prices are dropping, I am a bit concerned that people will regress to more inefficient patterns..


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