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Environmentalist and Chief

No matter whom you vote for in 2008 and whether you believe it or not, you are voting for the environment

It would seem obvious, that the most powerful political leader in the world would have the biggest single impact on the environment.

Certainly there are many who would like to rightly put the blame for the current climate crisis on President Bush and those who voted for him. (If you are someone who still supports him, please don’t be offended by what follows) Whether it is nepotistic appointments to the EPA and Department of the Interior, or just the open access big energy has had to this administration, it is clear that the President has the power to damage the environment.

How much power does he really have to heal it?

A multitude of forces far greater than executive branch of our government are at work against the environment. These forces include our collective and unexamined habits. How relevant will the next President be to the environment? As of July 2007 there are nearly 20 viable candidates running for president. As you look for the candidate you are going to vote for in 2008, regardless of your party affiliation, there are basic perspectives that you should evaluate from.

1) Climate Change: whether you accept that it is caused by human activity or not, it is already effecting you and it is unquestoinably going to profoundly effect your childrens future.

2) Energy Independence: Wether it is the War on Terror or economic stability, it is vital to America’s future. This does not however mean wasting money on attempting to get to domestic sources of fossil fuels. That is literally a waste of time and money. What it does mean is renewable energy and energy conservation.

3) Energy Innovation: America is at a fork in the road. While the last century was America’s the current one is not going to be. China will soon have the world’s largest economy and India is likely to surpass

America too. Post 9/11

America closed the door on a lot of the world’s brightest minds at a time when those minds are going to be applied to the looming energy crisis.

America’s advantage has always been her innovation, creativity and ingenuity. Solving this looming energy crisis will quite likely be a bigger global economic engine than even the internet. The next president is going to need the vision and commitment to see that America is a relevant player.

America’s relevance in the coming world economy is far from guaranteed. Just like the GI bill built the suburbs, the next president is going to have to get behind policies that create strong incentive and opportunities at the level of individual. In short, the next president is going to have to think outside the box that most of the country has been inside of up until now. With this in mind here are some resources you can use to evaluate your candidates. Democrat: MoveOn.org or SeacoastNRG.org. Republican: SeacoastNRG.org. Again–No matter whom you vote for in 2008 and whether you believe it or not, you are voting for the environment.

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