Most of what we've heard from the two candidates for president revolve around the slumping economy and creating jobs. We don't hear much about environmental issues, like climate change and alternative energy. WUSF's Steve Newborn talks with Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth Action, about why the environment has taken a back seat during this presidential run.
He says there's two main reasons - Republicans either ignore the issue of climate change or think it's a bogus issue. Mitt Romney said in his first debate: "President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. My promise is to... help you and your family."
And Pica says President Obama - who has issued several "green" initiatives during his presidency - thinks bringing it up can't help get him the independent voters he needs to win re-election. But environmentalists like Pica say polls repeatedly have said a majority of undecided voters in eight "battleground" states - like Florida - favor clean air standards and clean energy policies.
