Democratic Party Ninth District Dorothy Hansen

The world is rapidly changing: the planet is warming; important resources such as water, food, and oil, are being depleted; and animals and plants are disappearing from the planet.

According to a study by NASA scientists, summer temperatures in Atlanta could reach as high as 110 degrees if climate change continues, Mike Toner of the AJC reported recently. Hotter and drier summers and violent storms could become commonplace. Coastal flooding, habitat and species loss, drought, and disease are only a few of the ramifications of global warming. Imagine a world with no glaciers in Glacier National Park.

An increasing population is putting stress on a world with decreasing natural resources. Oil, Water, and other resources are rapidly running out. Conflicts between states and countries may arise over who has the rights to those resources that remain.The largest freshwater body in the world is the body of groundwater in the Midwest United States called the Oglalla aquifer. Not only is the Oglalla aquifer polluted, it is disappearing. Hydrologists suggest that the aquifer will be gone in thirty years. The same scenario is happening around the world - in Australia, China, Canada, everywhere. Closer to home, the Pacific News Service reports, "The explosive growth of Atlanta is draining nearby rivers in the Southeast, threatening ecosystems and livelihoods in a region unused to resource shortages." Imagine a world without water.

How to handle the energy crisis is an issue of immediate importance for the Presidential candidates of both parties. Will we explore biofuels? Ethanol? Wind? Solar? Coal? Nuclear? Imagine a world without cars or electricity.

The BBC reports that one quarter of the world's mammals face extinction within 30 years. CNN reports that only 10% of the oceans' big fish now remain. "Human beings are currently experiencing the greatest mass extinction of species since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. If present trends continue one half of all species of life on earth will be extinct in less than 100 years, as a result of habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, and climate change." Speciesalliance.org

In Georgia, at least 10 percent of the 4,000 species of native plants and animals are in danger of imminent extinction, says The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Imagine a world with half the animals and plants.

At any rate, it's clear that we cannot continue on our current plan of unsustainable growth and resource depletion. We are simply running out. The leading candidates probably feel they can't take strong stands on the environment without alienating their base, so make your feelings known! Educate yourself on the issues and where your candidate stands. Go to www.grist.org as a starting place. Contact your candidate and let him or her know how important these issues are to you. Eight years of denial and backsliding under Republican leadership have left the environment in a state of crisis with issues that need to be dealt with immediately - while there's still time.

Dorothy Hansen is currently an English Instructor. She has thru-hiked the Appalachian trail and co-owned a backpacking store at the base of Blood Mountain. She and her husband are the proud parents of two children who love the outdoors and who fight for its preservation.