What candidates are NOT talking about, Pt. 1: Climate change & infrastructure repair

Hour 1

The 2012 presidential election, for the most part, has been about the economy and more recently foreign policy.  Among the issues that have received little or no attention on the campaign trail are climate change and the state of our aging infrastructure.  Four years ago, at the 2008 Democratic convention, candidate Obama said that “this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to show and our planet began to heal.”  Governor Romney on the other hand has said little except that he believes that while climate is occurring he is uncertain how much of it is attributable to man and “factors out of our control.”  But neither candidate has addressed the issue of global warming and its impact on the environment in a meaningful way. And despite widespread acknowledgement that the declining state of our nation’s infrastructure is jeopardizing our global competitiveness, plans to rebuild our transportation, electric and water systems, have gotten short shrift on the campaign trail.  In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, roads, bridges and sewers may be on the minds of voters particularly on the East Coast.  In this hour of Radio Times we’ll talk about these where President Obama and Governor Romney stand on the volatile issues of climate change and global warming.  We’re joined by Time Magazine science writer BRYAN WALSH and ROBERT PUENTES of the Brookings Institution.

Listen:
[audio: 103112_100630.mp3]
Image: Megan Pinto / WHYY