And so, the lie that America can indefinitely power itself with carbon-intensive fuels extracted from the ground –– at enormous cost to our health and environment –– is perpetuated for yet another election cycle. But we will eventually pay a price for our blissful ignorance. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Earth will continue to warm because we are sending ever more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The ice caps that now cover the Arctic and Greenland will melt, the seas will rise and hurricanes will grow stronger.

And gasoline prices will not decline dramatically because we drill more. Oil is a commodity subject to international price fluctuations dictated by the law of supply and demand. These days, its price is increasingly dictated by China, which is sucking up oil like a teenager downing a milkshake.

We must support green technologies. At least the president acknowledged that fact at Hofstra. Romney only kowtowed to our fossil-fuel industries.

Scott Brinton is senior editor of the Bellmore and Merrick Heralds and an adjunct professor at the Hofstra University Graduate Journalism Program. Comments? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203. Brinton’s profile and posts can be found at facebook.com/scottabrinton.