Voting has always been important in today’s society. There are many factors that are to be taken into consideration when voting however, one being the environment. What are things that voters need to be aware of when it comes to the environment? Erin Mauldin: Assistant professor in the department of History and Politics at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Dr. Erin Stewart Mauldin, speaks of several environmental issues in her blog.

​

Predominately, that “supporting pro-business policies and undermining regulation may seem like a good idea for short-term economic growth, but that when combined with the city's unresolved pollution issues, will mean disaster for our children if polluters aren't punished or industries are allowed to bend the regulatory rules.” Mauldin touched on several other issues that come into play such as air pollution and water contamination.

​

Air pollution, water contamination, and monitoring prove to be prevalent environmental issues. sources such as G.A.S.P. and Cahaba River Keepers outline such issues extensively, both working towards educating the public in an effort to raise awareness for these environmental issues.

​

According to its online resource (gaspgroup.org), a health advocacy organization inspired by a group of young activists, The Greater Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (G.A.S.P), serves “to reduce air pollution, to educate the public on the health risks associated with poor air quality and to encourage community leaders to serve as role models for clean air and clean energy development.”

​

Beliefs of the organization assist in highlighting environmental problems and needs. Their list includes items such as health as a top priority when considering policies that affect the communities air quality, that it is the moral obligation of elected officials and regulators to act as stewards of Alabama’s natural resources, and that socioeconomic status should not deter individuals from living in a healthy environment.

​

Cahaba Riverkeeper deals similarly in making sure, according to its online source (cahabariverkeeper.org), that they “defend the ecological integrity of the Cahaba, its tributaries and watershed and to ensure clean water, a healthy aquatic environment, and the recreational and aesthetic values of the river.” The Cahaba is continuously monitored to keep track of violations in clean water legislature. The overall goal is to protect the natural resource and water supply.

 

According to Mauldin, “much of the contamination is long-standing, unmonitored, and unresolved.” The issue of environmental racism, visible through lack of environmental monitoring in certain neighborhoods, was a concern Mauldin conveyed for the state of Alabama.

​

“Problems exist primarily in poor areas, which can be black or white or a mix of both, but in Birmingham, poverty and race closely align.”

​

There are a lot of conflicting political views when it comes to the environment. The biggest myth, according to Mauldin is that pro-environment and pro-business can't co-exist or are oppositional. “Regulation and pollution mitigation are expensive, so people often think that rolling back monitoring efforts or imposing stricter fines on polluters will aid in "job creation."

​

However, this is not true, and by favoring corporations over the environment, the burden on the city's health care is increased and welfare industries to take care of people made sick, also harming tourism, while affecting future development

​

According to the environmental policy of Alabama, “environmental policy aims to conserve natural resources by balancing environmental protection with economic growth, property rights, public health, and energy production. This is done mainly through laws and regulation passed at all governmental levels and influenced by many stakeholders with different agendas.”

​

Research and involvement by voters in environmental policy matters. More resources for further investigation, pertaining to environmental issues and solutions, are included in the side-bar.