U.S. Droughts, Threatened Oceans: What Do Obama, McCain Say?
What do U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain have to say about the growing water shortages, expanding droughts and ocean pollution facing parts of the U.S.? A group that has been pressing both nominees for their views on a range of science issues just received a response from McCain (Obama responded earlier this summer), and has released both candidates’ comments.
On the issue of water, Sciencedebate 2008 asked Obama and McCain this:
“Thirty-nine states expect some level of water shortage over the next decade, and scientific studies suggest that a majority of our water resources are at risk. What policies would you support to meet demand for water resources?”
Among other programs, Obama said he would “establish a national plan to help high-growth regions with the challenges of managing their water supplies.” McCain offered his perspective as a westerner: “I believe that water rights must be respected, and that disputes are better resolved not in the courts but through negotiations that build consensus, and provide justly for the needs of the west’s diverse interests and needs.”
Sciencedebate 2008 also broached the subject of ocean health, asking “Scientists estimate that some 75 percent of the world’s fisheries are in serious decline and habitats around the world like coral reefs are seriously threatened. What steps, if any, should the United States take during your presidency to protect ocean health?”
McCain acknowledged the complexity of the problem:
“The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy has provided government leaders with an “Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century” that has many good ideas; however, even it struggled with the enormity of the management challenge that lies before us, and recognized that there are no easy answers. This is at least partly due to the fact that so many of the human activities that adversely affect ocean health are not “ocean activities”, but are landside activities. Regional and ecosystem management concepts are easy to talk about, but are complicated to implement effectively, and they depend of obtaining a commitment from various necessary stakeholders.”
Obama’s response:
“We need to enhance our understanding of the effect of climate change on oceans and the effect of acidification on marine life through expanded research programs at NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). I will propel the U.S. into a leadership position in marine stewardship and climate change research. Stronger collaboration across U.S. scientific agencies and internationally is needed in basic research and for designing mitigation strategies to reverse or offset the damage being done to oceans and coastal areas.”
Sciencedebate 2008’s questions to the candidates also took on the topics of climate change, energy, genetics research and pandemics/biosecurity. I’ll summarize McCain’s and Obama’s responses to those questions in a future post.
In the meantime, if you’d like to read both candidates’ complete answers, you can find them here.
Palin is just another warhead like McCane that has no concept of dealing honorably with the international community!!!!