Mr. President: The Earth Does Not Have Forever

EARTH MEANDERS

Mr. President: The Earth Does Not Have Forever

With under a month remaining before the U.S. Presidential election, it is not clear whether either candidate will address abrupt climate change and global ecosystem collapse, and related roll-backs of civil liberties and a state of drone-based perma-war. While clearly President Obama's general rhetoric on the environment is more promising, and Governor Romney is avowedly anti-nature, we are running out of time to stop abrupt climate change. Unless I hear specific policies from the President on climate, civil liberties, and drone warfare – I will not be voting for him – instead writing in "None of the Above". 

Listening to the US Presidential election, you wouldn't know Earth faces ecological emergencies including abrupt climate change and ecosystem collapse in water, forests, and food. The United States and world are less free, green and peaceful places – largely because human growth has met ecological limits.  Ongoing roll-backs of human rights and civil liberties, as well as the state of perma-war waged by drones terrorizing entire populations, is a direct result of industrial growth caused environmental decline, and the resulting scramble for oil and other resources in a globalized world.

The human family faces its greatest planetary emergency ever as Earth, humanity and all life are poised upon the precipice of total ecological, social and economic collapse. Earth's biosphere – the thin mantle of life from underground, through terrestrial ecosystems, to the top of the atmosphere – is being destroyed. Fisheries, soils, the atmosphere, forests, wetlands, water, oceans, food and other ecosystems are uniformly in decline or simply gone. Global ecological crises are destroying conditions necessary for a habitable Earth, and our descent into resource anarchy has begun.

Global change and ecological science are clear we are near or have surpassed planetary boundaries required to maintain a habitable earth. Clearly endless growth on a finite planet is impossible. Humanity powers down, abandons growth for a steady state economy, learns to live more simply – but well – and share, or our and all life's existence is threatened.

Nowhere is the utter failure of leadership on issues related to ecological sustainability more apparent than in this year's U.S. Presidential election. Abrupt climate change enhanced drought has spread to 2/3 of America - threatening national and global food supplies. Where are Romney's and Obama's urgent climate change policies? And the deep insight that such rapid ecological change dramatically affects national and global security, and must be urgently and adequately addressed immediately?

Lack of action on abrupt climate change is stunning.  The past year's extreme weather illustrates the United States clearly faces runaway climate change and drought caused famine –  yet political and economic elite, as well as many of their fellow citizens, are too ignorant and entitled  to acknowledge it and act.  The US economic and political elite – by refusing to address disturbingly rapid climate change and environmental decline – have in effect abdicated. 

As ecosystems collapse and abrupt climate change intensifies, the U.S. political establishment isn't even trying to put forth sustainable development and ecosystem protection policies.  There is nothing exceptional to be found in such greedy, superstitious and self-obsessed environmental negligence for a percentage or two in economic growth and then collapse. Humanity will shed many tears, bleed profusely, and die an ignoble death, from such myopic hubris.

Republicans are unabashedly ecocidal – willfully destroying ecosystems until death – and deny established ecological science. Romney's policies are a road map to abrupt climate change and ecosystem loss – and also assured further declines in justice, liberty, and equity. Economic growth based upon destroying ecosystems for temporary jobs – which is often the case, particularly with fossil fuel exploitation – is not development or advancement of any kind, as post-boom local peoples are hard pressed to eke a survival from denuded landscapes.

Democrats spout the rhetoric of climate change science and ecological concern, and then do big business' bidding destroying ecosystems. President Obama has tepidly dished up failed progressive green hope, promising when elected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, yet until recently being unable to utter the words "climate change". Long-term fuel efficiency standards do not a sufficient climate change policy make. The Obama administration continues to obstruct international climate talks, and has been backing off mandatory emissions reduction commitments, and the 2 degree goal for limiting warming. 

It's unconscionable that abrupt climate change, ecosystem collapse, record inequity and civil liberty rollback are being ignored politically. To ridicule global ecological collapse is pure evil ignorance – yet, to respond that what science indicates is a global ecological emergency is "not a hoax", is also dangerously inadequate. We need detailed plans now from both candidates to dramatically reduce emissions and loss of intact ecosystems if Earth is to remain habitable. 

Every day these crises remain unacknowledged and unaddressed – the entire human family and all life is closer to famine, mass death, and potentially the end of being. Ecological sustainability is not going to come from oil addicted Mitt or his party – who have long doubled down on perma-war and ecocide – so there is only the President to look to for leadership to sustain national and global ecology and peace. But Mr. Obama needs to earn our independent, progressive green votes, with specific and sufficient policy proposals that we have not yet heard.

The world does not have forever: either President Obama leads on climate change, civil liberties, ending perma-war, or on the big issues of survival and living well long-term, he is little different from Romney. Silence during a climate change emergency – during an election or not – is not leadership. 

President Obama's lack of a detailed climate change policies, and a poor record on necessary environmental policies in general, matter a great deal. Unless he presents ambitious proposals in the closing weeks of the campaign to address abrupt climate change, restore civil liberties, and end drone perma-war, he is not worthy of progressive green support. 

It may be better for greens to spend time in opposition, with clear diametrically opposite Romney policies to critique and oppose. Let the forces of ecocide bear the brunt of blame for coming economic and social collapse, before bold progressive greens that walk the walk come to power.

If neither Presidential candidate can present a coherent policy position on climate change, liberty, and war; much less lead on these matters, voting "None of the Above" or for the nascent greens, may well be the best Presidential voting options.

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Dr. Barry is a political ecologist, and long-time essayist on issues of global ecological sustainability, liberty, justice and equity.