Homeland security, international relations, the right to bear arms, the government’s role in funding stem cell research. It seems as if every topic under the sky is included in the presidential debates–expect the one that affects every living thing in on this plant; Climate change.

For the first time in a generation, climate change was not brought up in the presidential debate. Climate change is the greatest challenge humans will face in the decades ahead, and for the presidential candidates to be silent about the issue does a disservice to the United States.

“By ignoring climate change, both President Obama and Governor Romney are telling the rest of the world that they do not take it seriously, and that America cannot be expected to act with the intensity and urgency needed to avert catastrophe,” said environmental activist and president of Friends of the Earth Action, Erich Pica. “Their silence prepares a future for our children and grandchildren in which we will face deeper droughts, fiercer forest fires and killer storms, messier oil spills and dirtier air.”

The only time that the climate was indirectly brought up in the debate was the discussion over the Keystone Pipeline. This potential development would bring oil down through the United States from Alaska. While it would make us energy independent, it would devastate the planet.

“Once you get into energy independency with the United States, that’s when climate change gets put into a box,” said Bill Mckibben, leading environmentalist and strong advocate against the pipeline.

If the pipeline plane were to follow through, the problems it would trigger would outweigh any benefits about being energy independent. If we were to obtain the oil from the tar sands of Alaska, and continue to burn the other fossil fuels we have, the levels of carbon dioxide would be higher than they were 2.5 million years ago. This overdose of greenhouse gasses would increase the overall temperature of the Earth. This would directly cause the accelerated rates of the poles melting. Coastlines would be destroyed due to high sea levels, and cities would be wiped out. Intolerably high temperatures, (did I mention that the Earth is in its cooling cycle?) and unpredictable weather patterns would lead fifty percent of all species to extinction.

The problem with the majority of Americans is that they are incapable of seeing past their own generation, and therefore our environment is exponentially deteriorating.

It is said that we would need a catastrophe for people to wake up and realize the damage that is happening everyday to the planet.

Maybe Hurricane Sandy’s mass destruction will change their minds.

“What has been happening over the past few years, I don’t think anyone can sit back and say, ‘Well I’m shocked at that weather pattern.’ There is no weather pattern that can shock me anymore,” said New York Governor Andrew Couomo.

And he’s right. How many more postponed Halloweens will it take for people to realize the state of devastation our world is headed for?