POLITICS AND ECOLOGY

Victor Bloom MD

There may be a few Gore supporters in the Grosse Pointes, and a few more who are on the fence. For those who are undecided it would be worthwhile to read Gore's famous book on ecology, "The Earth in Balance." In that book, which is largely autobiographical, one can get a sense of the man. He wrote that he decided to run for president in 1987. Before that he convinced himself that the most important issue in the world was the preservation of the delicate ecological balance of this planet earth. He was convinced that over-population and toxic waste, the product of too many humans, would eventually, if unchecked, make the planet uninhabitable.

He said that his integrity as a person would depend on whether or not he was sufficiently courageous to be the messenger of this all-important truth to the rest of America. And it is true that the United States consumes the largest portion of the world's available energy, and therefore contributes a disproportionate amount of carbon dioxide, which adds to the 'greenhouse effect,' which eventually will warm the planet to the point that the polar ice cap will melt, the oceans will rise and eventually flood our seacoasts, inundating our coastal megalopolises.

He was also concerned about holes in the ozone layer, allowing destructive ultraviolet (UV) rays to penetrate the atmosphere, causing an increase in skin cancer, among other things. Sure enough, the rate of skin cancer is rapidly increasing, especially under the holes in the ozone layer. This was caused by freon gas, (containing CPC's) escaping from refrigerators and air-conditioners, eventually rising to the ozone layer, starting a chemical process that continually breaks down ozone (three oxygen atoms) into ordinary oxygen, which is two oxygen atoms.

He can see into the future, and we cannot. He will toll the warning bell, and unless we heed his call, disaster will follow. Some scientists agree with him. Others do not. So far we do not know where our ecologic imbalance is heading, but scientists are working feverishly on computer models of climatology and there are indications he may be right. The carbon dioxide concentration in the upper atmosphere is steadily rising, along with the earth's temperature, especially this past decade.

In his section, "Striking the Balance," his recommendations for meeting the challenge of not upsetting the ecological balance in Chapter 14 entitled, "A New Common Purpose," he says:

"Modern industrial civilization, as presently organized, is colliding violently with our planet's ecological system. The ferocity of its assault on the earth is breathtaking, and the horrific consequences are occuring so quickly as to defy our capacity to recognize them, comprehend their global implications, and organize an appropriate and timely response." (p. 269)

On page 8 of Gore's introduction, he quotes George Will, commenting on his candidacy as being motivated by "a consuming interest in issues that are, in the eyes of the electorate, not even peripheral. These are issues such as the 'greenhouse effect' and the thinning ozone."

Gore continues, "Worse, I started to wonder whether the issues I knew to be important really were peripheral after all. I began to doubt my political judgment, so I began to ask the pollsters and professional politicians what they thought I ought to talk about. As a result, for much of the campaign I discussed what everybody else discussed, which too often was a familiar list of what the insiders agree are "the issues." The American people sometimes suspect that campaign agendas come straight from the pollsters and political professionals. Too often they are right."

"In my own defense, I will say that throughout the campaign I did look for opportunities to return to the issue of the global environment. And even though I came to downplay it in my standard stump speech, I continued to emphasize it heavily in my meetings with editorial boards throughout the country."

He went on to further say that in spite of growing evidence of "the dangerous hole in the sky above Antarctica," (sic) the press refused to report it.

We must consider the possibility that vice-president Albert Gore has a hidden agenda, that if he is elected, he will use all the power of the presidency, especially if he has a Democratic senate and congress, to enact legislation turning back 'modern industrial civilization.' It might be a good thing if we can stamp out escalating consumerism and irresponsible consumption of irreplaceable resources. There would be a lot less CO2 produced if our automobiles were legislated to be small and/or electric, and could not go faster than 50 mph, and that our electricity were powered by solar panels and wind turbines. And gasoline were 4 dollars per gallon, as is the case everywhere else.

The unemployment that would result might well be turned to the manufacture of millions of wind turbines and solar panels. We might inherit a Brave New World if Gore were elected. The questions remain, are we ready for this? Is it necessary? Is there a hidden agenda? Do we want that much governmental power to change our lives for the benefit of future generations because we are short-sighted and don't know any better? Or has Al Gore already caved in to the pollsters and pundits?

Dr Bloom is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University School of Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and on the editorial board of the Wayne County Medical Society. He welcomes comments at his email address--- vbloom@comcast.net.