Though I believe that the Middle East should be the ‘number one top foreign-policy priority’ of the US, I think the ‘2^nd top foreign-policy priority’ of America should be global warming. My country, the Philippines, has experienced severe draughts, powerful monsoon rains and strong storm surges in recent years. Every country today is being affected by climate change. Global warming is not only a problem in the Philippines; it’s also a problem in the United States. In fact, global warming is a problem in every country on Earth.

Climate change is now giving many countries bigger floods, stronger monsoon rains and huge storm-surges. Global warming is now a threat to humanity’s own survival as living species. Humans everywhere know well that climate change has been bringing in long-term droughts, super typhoons and horrific blizzards. Some island-countries are now under threat of disappearing from the global map.

We know that this planet has a problem with extreme carbon-emissions to the atmosphere, but many leaders seemingly ignore the issue. How can we maintain the ecological balance so we can ensure the survival of all living beings on this planet? How can we save this planet from the fangs of extreme carbon-emissions due to industrialization? We need to save Earth from environmental degradations and pollutants! We need to act now to curtail the impending destruction of eco-systems and halt extreme carbon-emissions to the skies.

Though science and technology have revolutionized the way humans live on this planet, we know that we have to be responsible in using our natural resources and in securing ecological balance. There’s now a need to manufacture nature-friendly items and gadgets. Some countries and cities around the world have already taken concrete measures to ban non-biodegradable items in the market. Clogged waterways often contribute to flashfloods in cities all over the world. Science experts and inventors must produce biodegradable materials that can replace plastics, so that clogging of waterways can somehow be lessened. The UN should hold international conferences that will tackle ways and means to control flooding. Scientists, engineers, architects, medical practitioners, disaster-relief volunteers and other experts from all over the world should participate in such conferences to help formulate plans and policies that would save cities and towns from huge flooding.

The US should consider global warming as the 2^nd top foreign-policy priority because such problem is threatening the survival of the whole human race. The US, being the richest, the most industrialized and the most powerful country on Earth, has the responsibility of leading the ‘global village’ out of danger from getting terminated by “extreme global warming.” No country on Earth, not even the US, can escape the bad effects of extreme carbon-emissions. The US should lead in the research of finding practical and effective means of how to curtail carbon-emissions in all throughout the world. The US is the lone superpower in today’s world. A useful definition of a superpower comes from the late Soviet politician Andrei Gromyko who defined a superpower as “a country that has a say in every corner of the globe and without whose say nothing truly substantial can be achieved in any such corner.” The US can certainly influence the whole world to adapt practical and effective means of curtailing carbon-emissions due to the fact that it is the only superpower right now on this planet.

We must save the world from extreme carbon-emissions for the sake of our children and our children’s would-be grand-children. We want our children and our children’s would-be grand-children to feel, see and enjoy the comforting magnificence and securing presence of Mother Nature. We have to act now in order to curtail the extreme carbon-emissions happening all over this planet. We have to save the world from the bad side-effects of carbon-emissions. The US, because it is still the only superpower in this world, should lead in the search of practical and effective ways and means that would really curtail extreme carbon-emissions to the atmosphere. The US should address the problem of climate change and consider global warming as its 2^nd top foreign-policy priority.

I’ve watched the final TV debate between Romney and Obama, but I never heard any of them talk about addressing global warming as a US foreign-policy issue. I think both Romney and Obama camps should soon come out a plan to address global warming as a foreign-policy issue. Global warming should be considered as a US foreign-policy concern since the said problem is threatening the survival of the whole human race.