Most people associate environmental conservation actions with protests, beach cleanups, tree plantings, petition signings, and animal rescues. All of the aforementioned actions (and more) are certainly ways to get involved with conservation and here at SEVENSEAS we definitely love when people do any or all of those things. However, there is one conservation action available to residents of the United States that is especially important and will have lasting global impacts this November: voting.
Casting a ballot definitely seems like the antithesis of conservation when you consider the amount of single-use paper ballots used during absentee and in-person voting, not to mention all of those “I voted” stickers. However, voting for presidential and legislative candidates has lasting effects on American life, especially in the way we perceive and use our natural resources. In short: voting is one way for you to speak for the seas. And the trees. And the bees. And all of the plants and animals that don’t rhyme with seas, trees, or bees.
While you may not label yourself an environmentalist, I can guess that you enjoy living on a planet that provides you and those you care about with clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, amazing places to vacation, and plenty of food to eat. If this is the case, you might want to consider voting for representatives who share your beliefs on environmental issues, who don’t doubt the work and expertise of scientists just to get elected, and who have compromised by working across party lines to create and implement policies that improve the American way of life rather than just voting for candidates affiliated with the same political party as you. To put it simply: electing leadership that acknowledges the importance of a healthy human habitat and the problems facing our environment will ensure that constituents are listened to and action is taken to make things better. In contrast, electing leadership that promotes the distrust of science and believes in policies that allow unsustainable, over-use of natural resources means our environmental challenges will probably get worse.
According to Sylvia Earle, one of the world’s most famous marine biologists, we still have time to save the oceans, but not much. Since all life on Earth literally needs healthy oceans to continue to exist, we can expand on her idea and say we still have time to clean up our act as a global society, but not much. Thanks to rising sea levels, changing climate patterns, and the potential of the first human-caused mass extinction of species, we don’t really have time for American politicians to impede action and progress. Some politicians passionately assert that they aren’t scientists before condemning the possibility that we might be using natural resources too much too fast, and then dismiss the opinions of scientists when presented with what we know. This is a political game of Keep-It-Up that is partly made possible by pressure from their donors and large corporations. We can’t allow this game to continue. We have the power to demand leaders and eliminate complacency in our political system.
Recently, large corporations and equally as large donations have been allowed to have incredible influence over how candidates and elected officials shape their positions on the issues. This year, outsider candidates have garnered incredible support and given more Americans a voice in politics. The role of big money in politics might just be a thing of the past if we play our cards right. Just like sales show companies what products are in demand, votes show political figures who the public believes in. Our votes are political currency. So instead of pledging allegiance to a particular political party and voting only for candidates who are also affiliated with that party, what if we did a little bit of research and voted for candidates who have well thought out plans to solve the problems that are important to us? What if we fired politicians who are loyal to corporations and donors rather than their constituents? What if we hired candidates who can work with others to offer solutions instead of just standing at a podium and yelling about how bad the challenges are? What if we showed up in droves on election day and rejected the status quo? I bet that’d get the point across.
Scientists can’t solve the world’s environmental challenges just by doing research, publishing in journals, and talking to other scientists about how great their ideas might be. Conservationists have written numerous papers on how to solve environmental challenges. Getting the world to listen to those great ideas, especially in a day and age where misinformation can spread with a single viral video clip, is the hard part. If you care about the environment, which I’m sure you do since you’re reading a publication centered around marine conservation, the time is now to vote with your brain instead of just raw emotions. Think about the people you are giving power to. Answer calls from their campaigns and ask why you should trust them with your vote. Look into each candidate’s history. Go to your local board of elections website and look up your particular ballot ahead of the election so you know exactly who and what you’re going to be asked to cast a vote for.
Credible online sources seem to be harder and harder to come by this election season. It might be tempting to click the outrageous headline on social media but there are better ways to find the truth. Two objective websites to help you do this are OnTheIssues.org and VoteSmart.org. These organizations simply compile publicly available information such as voting records, positions on specific issues, and proposed policies for potential voters to access for free. Voting in an election is a choice to express your right as a free American, so go forth and confidently vote for the candidate you want to represent you for the foreseeable future.
The choice is ours, the clock is ticking, and every vote does count. Even if you don’t think it does.
** For more information on voter registration, see “title of Austin's article”**
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