As President-Elect Donald Trump focuses on foreign policy, job creation and war expenses, he overlooks one policy: the protection of the environment.
Trump’s statements include “climate change is a hoax” and the Environmental Protection Agency “is a disgrace.” Previously, he even vowed to dismantle the EPA.
Despite science confirming the reality of climate change and its potential impacts, Trump only speaks against protecting the environment. While Trump promised new jobs, which resonated with the middle class, he did not warn citizens of the environmental impacts of these jobs. Trump wants to bring the United States new industry and factories. However, new industry will only emit greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. Trump also vows to get rid of Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which regulates power companies’ ability to emit greenhouse gases.
Creating jobs definitely provides potential for improving the American economy. On the other hand, environmental protection should not take the back burner to the economic problems of the nation. While the U.S. needs to find ways to improve the economy, compromising the environment should not be an option.
In the last eight years, Barack Obama, alongside environmental activists, made great progress in fighting climate change. Within his years in office, President Obama cut carbon pollution, invested in solar and wind energy, created the Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy to continue research of transformational energy and helped lead 190 countries to the Paris Agreement, according to whitehouse.gov. Each of these policies help fight the current changing climate and rapid increase in carbon emission. Contrary to this, Trump considered repealing the Paris Agreement. This would reverse any efforts made towards managing carbon levels on a global scale.
Despite Trump’s critiques of renewable, cleaner energy, he does not oppose it entirely. He just sees renewable energy as too expensive, especially solar, according to Huffington Post.
Throughout his campaign trail, Trump spoke of getting rid of the EPA entirely. However, he now wants to refocus their purpose of over-regulation. In addition to his negativity, Donald Trump’s management of the EPA poses issues in addressing climate change issues. Trump selected Myron Ebell to head the EPA. Ebell believes government takes too much control over environmental protection and invests in coal, oil and logging expenditures. He outspokenly opposes Obama’s environmental protection policies and firmly believes that global warming is not real.
With a president and EPA leader who deny science, anyone who is the least bit concerned with the protection of the environment needs to fight against Trump’s new policies. Repealing Obama’s environmental policies will destroy an already fragile planet.
Climate change addresses a real, scientific problem. According to NASA, the planet’s arctic ice melts rapidly, carbon emission continues to substantially increase and the temperature keeps warming. While the impacts of climate change trace back to the 1950’s, global warming skyrocketed in the last decade.
Science consistently affirms the issues of the environment. Obama’s esteemed policies helped improve the current conditions. With Trump in office, his lack of care sparks trouble for the future of Earth.