Monday, July 02, 2018

Voters, first things first: here is why pollution should be at the top of your list ... by gimleteye

Things are getting real, and real fast, in terms of the impacts of pollution on citizens. It's your life. It's your family. It's your world.

Carbon dioxide is a pollutant and largely responsible for global warming. The sunny day flooding that is occurring in low-lying coastal areas will not stop, and it won't stop catastrophic losses to home and business values, until elected leaders start coming to terms with that pollution. If your votes are not for candidates who can honestly say they give a damn about climate change, you are damned.



There are other slow-motion fuses on pollution and toxics that have a direct impact on your life. Your family. Your world.

An oncologist in Brevard County, Dr. Julie Greenwalt, is trying to piece together a toxic puzzle that the government won't. She got cancer, with no history of the disease in her family. She began noticing that lots of her grade and high school classmates, who had all gone to schools near Patrick Air Force Base, also had contracted cancer at a youthful age.

Down here in Miami, there is a lot of money and attention and care placed by the community on cancer in our lives. There are corporate races and drives to raise money for hospitals. There are t-shirts and bracelets. But how many voters understand that cancer is a political event too and not just a matter of bad luck, or genetics?

Cancer is a political event because money needs to be spent, science needs to be gathered, and information needs to be disclosed to help people make informed decisions about toxics in their lives. Even toxics used by government in service of public health and safety.

How could this clearer?

"I just feel grateful to be alive, and I know that God has a plan for my life," Dr. Greenwalt said to a Brevard news outlet. "(Perhaps) this is part of it -- to try and help figure this out."

Voters shouldn't need cancer to raise awareness about government officials, cover-ups on toxics or climate change denialism. Voters shouldn't need algae in a favorite swimming place that is linked to Alzheimer's.

Voters should elect representatives who do more than platitudes or demagogue about how creating "jobs" is more important than protecting your health, your families, and the world we share. First things, first.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tourism emits 8 percent of greenhouse gases.

Unknown said...

AMEN - VOTE BLUE

Anonymous said...

Assuming you are based in Miami, why are you silent on the Beckam stadium proposal? When it comes to warming temps, I cant see how another bundle of large concrete structures in the middle of town is going to help things. The large open green space provided by the golf course has to be a cooling feature amidst all the roadways. The city is evaluating this on income and the number of humans who will use the area, ignoring the impact on quality of life.