As is usually the case following an election, promises of bipartisanship bloom ubiquitous. Finally, say politicians and partisans, we'll reach across the aisle, find common ground, negotiate constructive compromise and generally get the job done.
Will those intentions hold true? It's impossible to know. But the next four years will give America to a chance to shape, for better or worse, a host of vitally important scientific, medical and environmental issues.
Here is some of what we'll be arguing over -- and hopefully figuring out -- in years to come.
Above:
Climate Change
After the
collapse of federal legislation in 2010, climate change replaced social security as the third rail of American politics. But following the epic midwestern floods of 2008 and 2010, this year's drought and finally Hurricane Sandy, the winds appear to be changing.
"You have stakeholders on both sides of the aisle talking about this stuff," said Eric Pooley, senior vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund. "It's not just, 'Let's go back to the last climate bill and begin conversation there.' It's, 'Let's start again.'"
A cap-and-trade system for carbon pollution is unlikely, but other approaches are possible, from adapting infrastructure and improving post-disaster resilience to revenue-neutral carbon taxes and reduced fossil fuel subsidies. "We want a broad, inclusive debate here. We want people competing for the best ideas," said Pooley. "There's never been a landmark environmental bill passed in this country that didn't have overwhelming bipartisan support.
Image: The U.S. Capitol building. Kevin Burkett/Flickr
