Election Day is fast approaching, and the candidates are mostly avoiding the issues that will decide America’s and the world’s future. This may be because these problems do not resonate with voters the way past concerns do, even though they are actually more important. The focus of the candidates is on the economy, inflation, immigration and crime. Global warming, pollution, and plastic poisoning are barely being considered by Trump and Harris, the major party candidates. In fact, Trump has dismissed climate change as an issue, stating that global warming is a hoax. He believes that we should use as much fossil fuel as we can- “Drill baby, drill.”
The economy and inflation have improved considerably recently and should not be on the front burners as election issues. Immigration is now under control, and candidates ignore the fact that the nation needs immigrants for agricultural, meat processing, hospitality, caretaking and construction jobs. Our population is declining and there are not enough births to replace the people who are dying. We need immigrants if our economy is to keep growing. As for inflation, we have a lower rate than any of our western European counterparts, so we are not doing too badly. Many of these inflation problems have been because of supply chain difficulties and the Covid pandemic which cannot be blamed on the politicians. And crime among immigrant groups has been shown to be lower than among America’s overall population, so this should not be an issue even though Trump and his minions are using individual cases to blame Harris and the Democrats for a so-called crime epidemic.
This year, the world bypassed the agreed upon limit in temperature rise from the Paris Conference. We have gone 1.5 degrees C worldwide above pre-industrial levels, which was the limit set as the target at the Paris Conference for the year 2100. Most nations have already exceeded the targets they set for themselves and continue to use more fossil fuels. This generates greenhouse gases and raises worldwide temperatures. Electricity needs are rising because of industrial growth globally and the use of artificial intelligence which means more energy must be produced.
Plastic pollution is also increasing worldwide, resulting in more plastic infesting all species. In humans, nano and microplastics have been found in placentas, breast milk, vascular atherosclerotic plaques, brain tissue and virtually all organs. Of great concern is the fact that plastics carry EDCs- endocrine disrupting chemicals, which affect both men and women’s ability to reproduce. Sperm quantity and quality have diminished considerably along with women’s reproductive ability. These problems have been noted in multiple species. If plastic production and use is not curbed, it is possible that fertility in humans and other species will be cut dramatically, with a marked drop in population.
These are the issues that the presidential candidates should be addressing and emphasizing. If global warming and plastic pollution are not controlled, human life may become extinct with no one to rant about inflation and immigration anymore.
www.robertlevinebooks.com.
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Posted at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Donald Trump, global warming, immigration, inflation, Kamala Harris, plastic pollution, presidential election
Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020