Three questions. These are real problems and not contrived. Please ask your candidates these questions and follow-up if they do not answer.
1) We have a global water crisis which is still not talked about enough. What do you plan to do about it?
2) We are poisoning our planet with toxic and plastic waste. Forever chemicals and pieces of plastic are in our bodies. What do you plan to do about it?
3) We are seeing the human and property costs of climate change in real-time. It is no longer our children and grandchildren who will bear the brunt. What do you plan to do about it?
To be frank, I do not want to hear how some politicians have been paid to say these are not problems. And, I do not want to hear about wokeness, election fraud, or other PR crafted wedge issues. These are distractions.
So, Mr. or Ms. Politician, what do you plan to do about these real problems?
musingsofanoldfart 
For example:
Just some things that come to my mind instantly.
Erika, these are all wonderful things we citizens can do, but elected leaders need to make significant change that require behavior change. Desalination of sea water, reuse of highly refiltrated sewage water, purposeful reuse of gray water in buildings and homes, no plastic shopping bags, reused take out trays, refillable drink, detergent, cleaner bottles as done in Europe, required mass transit for downtown visits, developed transmission lines to new and growing energy sources, etc. Keith
Yes, it is only what the individuals can do. But at least they can. But I agree, it is a bit easier over here since the government provides options to leave a smaller foot print. I saw, they provide options for separating litter (plastic, paper, glass) in the US too. I was happy to see this development. However, most bins were filled with everything plus friends of us said that in their gated community, some people don’t care, where they throw the trash in. So, what is the use when people don’t care and throw their trash in any box? It needs both, government and the individuals. It needs all of us. If we don’t work hand in hand, we may not have a chance to save this planet.
Well said. Please do not judge America by its gated community crowd, who some residents think they can buy needed scarce resources and need not be earth protective. Keith
My fear is you are asking these politicians an impossible question. 8 Billion People. Few of whom would want to or be capable of living like a !kung or even a French peasant who’s dead at 46. “Stop fossil fuels” would equal mass starvation. Americans riot over high gas prices.
Promise to better fund the Wuhan virus labs? I see the most realistic solution as a Black Plague or a magnitude greater 1918 flu.
Driving a Cybertruck thanks to subsidies not a solution
My first suggestion is we stop thinking all or none. Fossil fuels will have to fade away, but fade they must. Great things are happening with wind energy in our plains states. That must be stepped up. Coal has been on a downward trend for ten plus years. Natural gas put the first stake in it, with renewable hammering in another.
Politicians here would rather talk about woke issues than water concerns. We must increase and improve supply, while reducing demand. There is a great book called “Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman” by Miriam Horn who speaks of growing things more native to an area. It saves water. There is a reason alfalfa and wheat are farmed in the midwest – it grows naturally there.
And, so on.
All excellent points, Keith. I can always count you to reel me back from my cliff of doom.
Many thanks.
I would bet dollars to donuts any response one might receive will include a plea for $$$$$ needed to solve (or mitigate) any of these problems.
Nan, true, but some solutions need not cost as much or may cost less. See my response to basenjibrian about growing crops native to areas. It is cheaper and saves water. Growing water intensive crops in dry areas is costly.
Solar and wind energy projects need not be massive to be effective. Alternatively a coal plant built today will be obsolete by the time it’s finished.
Mass transit need not look the same everywhere. Light rail, more buses, requires car pooling, satellite parking with shuttles, etc. can work.
Keith
Of course! But my point is anytime you ask a candidate (or politician) for their ideas on solutions, their response will always include a “plea” for $$$$.
Nan, do you think it is a defense mechanism for someone who wants to appear smarter on the subject than he or she is? Keith
Possibly. But my primary point is the name of the (political) game is spelled M.O.N.E.Y. No matter what kind of good or bad ideas the politician suggests, money will always enter the conversation.
Nan, I hear a Joel Grey song from “Cabaret” coming up. Keith
Note to Readers: A few trends we could make happen:
Support farmers markets, discount grocers and gleaning efforts and buy economical and ugly fruit and vegetables.
Use only cloth grocery bags and support grocers that only do so.
Buy far fewer plastic products. Get a water filter and save money and the planet.
Support the growth of indigenous crops that use less water.
Use your car less walking more and tapping mass transit.
Set up a compost pile and use a rain barrel.
Take shorter showers. A Navy vet will tell you about 25 second showers. They don’t need to be that short, but they could be closer.
Plant indigenous plants and grasses in your lawn.
Erika has some good ideas as well.
Keith
Keith, until WE curb all facets of GROWTH, things will only get worse. Biden or Trump, it matters not, environmental degradation will continue.
Jon, thanks for your comment. It actually does matter. True story, each time a Democrat president is elected, condoms are included in global health initiatives from the US. Each time a Republican is elected the condom supplies are curtailed. When I first read this years ago, I thought it was a fake story from The Onion. Keith
Keith, I don’t believe I have ever met a Republican, but suggest a smart Republican would counter, by saying abstinence was a better option than condoms.
Jon, abstinence should be taught as an important option, but kids and young adults are having sex at a much higher rate than their parents know. Even the pious ones do. So, we must speak of all options, their pros and cons, including teaching girls how to say no and boys what it means to hear no. Keith
Good questions Keith.
And I do like your conditions at the end too.
A few possible reactions
1. Some dedicated conservatives who think and believe (albeit in doctrinal lines) would be likely to tell you the time-honoured… tax breaks for corporations are the answer, so they can invest in new technologies to solve the problems and create new jobs. ‘Give it time’ they’ll say, again.
2. There are those who will agree and will sound determined to Fight The Good Fight, and then we will have the analogy with Christ’s Parable of The Sower. At least there would be some Hope there.
3. Never underestimate the Power of Denial of course. Some folk loved to be told ‘It’s all ok’ and will vote for that. So…’No There is No Problem,’ and keep on repeating the litany.
4. You might well find some weary, yet dedicated person who will fix you with a ragged gaze, start off with a heavy sigh and in a low voice say either literally or in a coded way ‘Tell me about it friend. I’ll just keep on trying to climb over that wall. It’s not much, but it’s the only plan I’ve got,’
5. And then hopefully a very astute and iron cast sort who will say to you ‘I have not yet begun to fight,’
Sadly it might take another very large few disasters to have the deniers and blockers reduced to nothing but minority muttering impotently away at the proverbial end of the bar.
Churchill was alleged to have said, but it is doubted he did.
‘You can depend on Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else,’
Actually that’s a bit unfair, because that statement applies to all Nations.
We can but Hope there is still time.
Roger, thanks. Truth be told, some steps are occurring to address parts of these issues. Yet, in some places, power brokers want to mask success – such as wind energy in Texas being so successful – to not detract from the real, high margin money makers in fossil fuel.
Yet, we still have done a poor job of addressing our water crisis. The only talk I have heard in the US is the lead piping issue which is its own concern and the seven states fighting over the water rights to the Colorado River.
I think Messers. Twain and Churchill have said so many good things, they get remembered for things they did not say.
Keith
Raw sewerage being pumped into our rivers and coastal waters is taking on the levels of National Scandal.
Some will see this as allegorical with the state of UK politics, which might not be quite fair, but Perception by the Public is a powerful factor.
Less than two weeks to go over here.
Roger, there is a great history lesson in London circa 1860s. A cholera outbreak was occurring. At the time, doctors thought cholera was an airborne disease. When it was discovered a brewery had no outbreak, it was learned it was because staff drank their beer which cooked off the germs.
The cholera culprit was a sewage pipe drained into the Thames too close to a water pipe. Londoners were drinking their own sewage. Once fixed, the outbreak stopped. I read this was the first data intensive investigation into public health.
Keith
Note to Readers II: I read today that Trump would once again pull the US out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. This is clearly reason enough NOT to vote for Trump by itself. Making the US an outlier is not a galvanizing move.