How important are environmental issues in this election?

[bigtree]

Will the candidate's positions on the environment be a decisive factor in your vote?

What environmental issues are the most important to you?

How can we make the candidates address the issues of the environment?


Most important to me:

Halting the construction of new plutonium plants. (Energy Dept.)

Halt funding and support for oil grubbing, anywhere.

Support and development of renewable sources of energy.

Protection of wildlife, including designating more land for refuges, and an end to destructive logging practices that destroy species habitat.

Stop the weakening and lax enforcement of the Clean Air Act.

Stop the weakening and lax enforcement of the Clean Water Act.

Reverse any and all environmental actions that have come from this White House, including Executive Orders that exempt the Defense Dept. and others from existing environmental laws.

[pmbryant]

1. Answers

Will the candidate's positions on the environment be a decisive factor in your vote?


Yes. All the Democrats have good records on environmental issues. The Republican candidate, as well as his entire party, has an utterly miserable record. The choice is clear.


What environmental issues are the most important to you?


Global warming/climate change is the most important environmental issue we face. But public lands/wilderness protection is also very important to me. Clean air and clean water shouldn't even require mentioning, and it is truly sad that it does.


How can we make the candidates address the issues of the environment?


There is no need to do this. All that matters right now is winning the election. If the candidates feel this issue will help them, they will use it. If not, I don't feel compelled to make them use it. There are plenty of other issues that Bush can be defeated on.

--Peter

[Flying_Pig]

2. In this election, political issues...

will dominate. The best thing we can do for the environment, is to oust the Bush regime as quickly, and completely, as possible. Once that is done, then it will be possible to nuance, and give environmental issues the respect and focus they deserve.

[Kolesar]

4. The Petroleum Supply is everything, esp regarding the Conquest of Iraq

A plan for conservation and renewables would sell to the American public.

[MercutioATC]

3. I think the environment is going to take a back seat this election

to :

1) the economy

2) terrorism/foreign policy

3) healthcare/education/social security

in that order.

It'd be great if it were more high-profile, but people think with their bellies and safety first. Those needs fulfiled, they start looking at social programs and the environment.

[bigtree]

5. in that order

1) the economy

2) terrorism/foreign policy

3) healthcare/education/social security

All of these can be addressed by taking account of the role of the environment in their exacerbation, as well as in the solution to these problems.

<1>
-Energy conservation programs can provide jobs.
-Jobs can be created along with development and implementation of renewable energy solutions and sustainable agriculture practices
-Recyclables
-Still a great deal of environmental clean-up which the taxpayers are paying for that should be financed by industry abusers.

<2>
-Our interventions are often motivated by the desire to exploit some natural resource.
-Depleted uraniumn has contaminated the areas where the imbuded tank-buster bombs were used.
-New plutonium plants are to be used for the production of the next generation of 'usable' tactical nukes as well as the production of nuclear 'pits' for the new bunker-buster bombs.
-Global Warming.

<3>
-with the exception of Social Security

Health: Air, water, species habitat,...endless.

Education: Increased funding, yes. What about a required secondary school environmental curriculum?

[MercutioATC]

6. YOU see that...I see that...does the average voter? I don't believe so.

They still buy into the "I lost my logging job because of some tree-huggers trying to save the spotted owl" stories. I think most people see environmentalism as something that hurts the economy, not as something that could create an entirely new economy for us.

[bigtree]

7. We've got over a year

Let's get busy.