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Published on Monday, January 9, 2017

The Trump Administration: An Uncertain Future For Our Environment

[SCARY]

The Trump Administration: An Uncertain Future For Our Environment
Since Republican leader, Donald Trump, was elected as the new US President, many fear a grim and uncertain environmental future. There has been talk of Trump backing out of the global climate deal agreed upon in Paris, getting rid of Obama’s Clean Power Plan, and dismantling the country’s energy department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Lax environmental policies will not only negatively affect the United States but will also have far-reaching global impacts.
 
Appalling Political Propositions
It will be interesting to see if Trump will hold up to the global climate action policies agreed upon during the Paris Climate Agreement, especially since countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and China have reaffirmed their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Other concerning policies that may be enacted include: supporting coal power, creating new oil pipelines, drilling for oil in the Arctic, and allowing mining on public wilderness.
 
But environmentally degrading policies are not the only concern. Trump has selected several candidates for Cabinet who have expressed their lack of support for climate action and the EPA. His nominee for Energy Secretary is Rick Perry, a former governor in Texas. Prior to his nomination, Perry argued for the abolition of the US energy department. Trump’s selection for the Secretary of State is Rex Tillerson, the head of Exxon Mobil. Tillerson is currently being investigated for giving false information to shareholders regarding the oil company’s risks to the planet.
 
Another controversial Cabinet choice is Scott Pruitt. He’s Trump’s pick for the head of the EPA. According to Nick Loris of the libertarian Heritage Foundation, Pruitt has fought against the EPA, calling it “an agency that's run wild, rampantly, with excessive regulations that are devoid of any meaningful environmental benefit.” He believes that decision making regarding environmental protection should be dealt with on a state level instead of federal. Pruitt also wants to get rid of the Clean Power Plan, the country’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  
 
Citizen Concerns

Recently, a documentary came out investigating the environmental (or lack thereof) policies Trump is looking to enact – Climate Change: The Trump Card. For the documentary, Christine Todd Whitman, the head of the EPA during the George W. Bush administration, was interviewed. She has accused Trump of ignoring the science that proves climate change is a global issue that needs to be dealt with. His threats to remove environmental policies will put the world’s future and future generations at risk. 

During Whitman’s interview she said, “it’s gotten to the point where we've got to try to slow it down if we're going to survive it.” 97% of scientists are telling us that climate change is real and needs to be dealt with, but the Trump administration seems to be ignoring the science in favor of protecting the environment. She notes that previous Republican presidents have contributed to the environmental cause – Abraham Lincoln was the first to protect public land, Richard Nixon established the EPA, and in 1992 George Bush Sr. agreed to follow the UN Framework Convention. But instead, Trump wants to fill his Cabinet with multi-millionaires in the oil industry.
 
According to Whitman, the country needs to find a way to promote businesses while also protecting the planet. She says that, “[the country wants] to have power and be energy independent but the problem is doing it in a balanced way to protect health and the environment. But from Trump's view it doesn't seem to enter the equation." Instead of investing in sustainable initiatives for the country, Trump seems to be taking a backwards approach. He gladly supports the non-renewable energy production of coal, oil and gas, when in reality renewable energies such as solar and wind are becoming more affordable.
 
During Whitman’s interview she said, "I worry terribly for the future of my family and families round the world because Mother Nature has never observed geopolitical boundaries and what one country does really does affect another country.” What Trump doesn’t seem to realize is that climate change is an environmental issue that each and every country needs to take charge in addressing. As a leading global power, the United States has the capacity to take climate action and encourage other countries to do the same.
 
As one of the most influential and powerful countries in the world, their lack of commitment to the environmental cause could put a damper on the global effort to combat climate change. It’s important that citizens rise up and demand the need for environmental policies in the United States. As concerned citizens we must act before it’s too late. Trump needs to know that citizens are concerned and that they want climate action to still be a part of the political agenda. We can’t let the Trump card decide the fate of our planet. 
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Author: Ccarrell

Categories: Blogs, Climate & Weather

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