| August 9th, 2012 Let's make climate change an election issue! | Tell Romney and Obama to make climate change a campaign issue now! | It's official. July was the hottest month in U.S. history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But we don't have to tell you that it's been hot - you've been living it. Everyone is aware that it's been exceptionally warm. Everyone that is, except for Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. While it takes years to link one extreme weather event to climate change, scientists are starting to prove that there is a connection. NASA scientist James Hansen, widely regarded as the foremost expert on climate change, just released a report linking climate change to last year's droughts in Texas and Oklahoma and the devastating 2003 European heat waves that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths3. Princeton professor Michael Oppenheimer said, "What we see now is what global warming really looks like...the frequency of hot days and hot periods has already increased and will increase further." 3,215 daily high temperature records were set or tied in the month of June1. More than 63 percent of the country in the lower 48 states is experiencing drought.2 This drought has affected more 80% of the U.S.'s corn crops, foreshadowing serious effects for global food prices, which could in turn cause political instability worldwide. We know that climate change and global warming are threats to our planet's future. We know that there will be serious ramifications for our environment, affecting the price we pay for food, gas and everything in between. Americans know we need to address this issue now, so why aren't our presidential candidates addressing this issue on the campaign trail? Mitt Romney has raised doubts over whether humans even contribute to climate change4 and his energy policy would roll back regulatory laws that attempt to cut carbon emissions. Barack Obama is barely better, pledging in April to make the environment and climate change a major campaign issue, but barely mentioned it since5. We've pulled together statements and videos on both Romney's and Obama's policies into interactive guides so you can read in further detail. It's time for the presidential campaigns to wake up. Tell Romney's and Obama's advisors that climate change needs to be a key issue of the 2012 Presidential Election. It's an issue as tied to our future prosperity and security as the economy, and we deserve to know what they would each do as president to address climate change. The election is just three months away. We have no time to waste if we want our next answers from our presidential candidates on this critical issue. We know that the actions of a few can spawn sweeping movements that foster change for all. Our planet, families, and children deserve bold action to preserve our precious environment. Tell Romney and Obama that sustainable energy, decreased carbon emissions, and a healthier planet is the future we want. 1http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2119129,00.html 2http://www.npr.org/2012/08/04/158119458/soaked-in-drought-lessons-from-the-dust-bowl 3http://www.weather.com/news/new-climate-change-study-20120805 4http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/10/28/355736/romney-flips-to-denial-we-dont-know-whats-causing-climate-change/ 5http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75590.html | 
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