Millennials, you have real power:
I have tried not to post about the US 2016 election on Travels with Tam, for obvious reasons. One should not mix politics into a blog about travel. I have, on my Facebook page and political twitter account, @PoliticTammer, posted quite a bit on the subject. I have also written articles about the election on The Huffington Post.com / Tam Warner Minton. Now I have to change that way of thinking, because this is not only a blog about travel, it is a blog about conservation, voluntourism, citizen science, and yes, trying to make the world a better place. Yes, I do review travel, but I also post about my experiences and my values. One of the most important issues, actually, the most important issue, in this election is CLIMATE CHANGE. It is real. It is dangerous, and it will destroy life as we know it. Will it “kill the planet”? No. But it will kill us, humans, just as it will kill other creatures.
It is not my place to give a seminar on the importance of our survival regarding our warming planet. You can learn the science in a million places. I recommend looking at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website, watch NatGeo’s Before the Flood, you can watch it now and for free, and Jane Goodall Institute‘s Time to Choose. (Read Jane Goodall as she challenges Republicans regarding climate change.)
You can get facts from many places. National Geographic has a stunning article about deforestation and its ties to the warming planet, Climate Central (dot) org has article after article about our rising temps and rising sea level, and NASA has infographics, charts, and pictures to show the devastation. NASA also has three new Climate Apps where you can track the changes occurring on our Mother Earth, and hopefully learn to do something about it. Earth Now gives you the vital signs of our warming planet home, Images of Change shows photographs of what is occurring, and Offset is a new game that is totally retro as it is similar to the old game Pong. Offset educates and teaches us about the global carbon cycle and how we can Offset it. Here is the link to the apps for your Apple and Android: http://climate.nasa.gov/earth-apps/. I’ve downloaded all of them, and I hope you will, too!
AND, here is the Sierra Club’s Endorsement list for all House, Senate and Governor elections: http://content.sierraclub.org/voterguide/endorsements
As a diver who is concerned with conservation and citizen science, I have seen and felt the difference that climate change has made, particularly in our oceans. Thirty years ago our water temps in the Caribbean were 79 to 80 degrees Farenheit. Now? 82 to 84 degrees. We have not been using sustainable fishing practices, and we have lost many species. Many scientists believe we are facing a sixth mass extinction on our planet…caused by humans. Deforestation, development, use of fossil fuels, overfishing, poaching…the list goes on and on. Half of our coral reefs are gone, and they continue to die. It is said to be 95% certain that the Great Barrier Reef is dying…and I do believe that, after seeing the Ribbon Reefs on the Great Barrier Reef just this summer. It is happening, folks, it really is. I want my unborn grandchildren to be able to see a coral reef, but if we continue as usual, they will only see the death of one.
When casting your votes on Tuesday, November 8, please remember that if we do not address Climate Change, other issues won’t matter very much. We are at a critical point, a tipping point. Do your homework! Who believes the science of climate change? Who does not? Those who do not need to be voted OUT and voted down. We need to move forward, my friends, into a world of clean energy, renewable energy, sustainable fishing practices, and so much more. There is much that needs to be done, and we cannot afford to spend four years going backward. Hey, there is no such thing as clean coal or clean oil. Period.
Please vote for candidates who understand the science of Climate Change. Climate deniers have got to go, they are killing us. Get out and vote for doing something about climate change!
