Individual action, community organizing, and governmental policy are all critical tools in the fight to preserve our planet. Ideally, businesses of all sizes would uphold strict environmental practices simply because it is the right thing to do, but we’ve seen this is clearly not the case. Until recently, most companies have polluted, developed, and converted the natural environment to any extent possible in order to maximize their profits. As a result, government regulations are more than necessary, they are essential. Environmental laws and legislation provide the legal framework for holding companies accountable for their environmental impacts. Enforcement is also vital.
Environmental sustainability receives very little consideration in U.S. politics. Up until this point, climate change has barely been mentioned in U.S. presidential campaigns. Even among environmentalists, climate change has often been perceived as a niche topic, open to skepticism and impossible to address. Today, climate is finally reaching the forefront of our conversations about the environment, and for the first time in 12 years, the topic reached the presidential debate floor. On September 29th, 2020, moderator Chris Wallace posed the question, “What do you believe about the science of climate change and what will you do in the next four years to confront it?” This question signifies some level of progress, although it is too slow and insufficient to address the scope and depth of our climate emergency.
During this debate and often among political candidates, climate change seems to be treated as a secondary topic, almost an afterthought. Among political leaders, climate change is only recognized in the context of jobs and the economy, with most rhetoric focusing on the financial burden of addressing the issue, rather than the enormous cost of inaction (The Guardian). This is bewildering, given that nearly all scientists unequivocally agree that climate change poses an immediate existential threat to our planet. The evidence of the climate crisis is everywhere. More than 5 million acres have burned in wildfires engulfing the entire U.S. west coast (The New York Times). Researchers estimate that extreme storms may increase 60% by the year 2100 (NASA). Nineteen of the twenty hottest years ever recorded have been since 2001. The five hottest have been the last five years (NASA). Climate change has reached a global scale, yet somehow it is still placed in the context of something to “believe in”.
Whenever an election approaches, it is important to take a look back at each candidate’s track record with the environment. In the case of President Donald Trump, his record tells us everything we need to know. Trump has imposed more environmental rollbacks than any other president in U.S. history (The New York Times). He has tried to take credit for pollution reductions that took place under previous presidents, even while deregulating power plants, weakening the Clean Water Act, and pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord (The Washington Post). Trump has repealed a number of environmental protections enacted under former President Barack Obama, who preserved the most acreage of all U.S. presidents, mostly in the form of protected marine ecosystems (U.S. Department of the Interior). Presidential candidate Joe Biden recently laid out his $2 trillion plan to invest in green infrastructure, fight environmental racism, and combat climate change, in an effort to steer the country toward net-zero emissions by the middle of the century. It is considered the most ambitious environmental blueprint released by a major party nominee (The Washington Post).
In the U.S., we find ourselves with less than a month remaining until the next presidential election, an election that stands to reveal the true values of a nation in turmoil. For the past 50 years, most of our political leaders have placed climate change on the backburner. But it can no longer wait. Climate change is a major issue that must be dealt with immediately, at all levels of government. It is every citizen’s responsibility to vote with the environment in mind. We must elect leaders who understand the urgency of this issue, who support climate science, and who will fight for clean air and water. Visit https://iwillvote.com to make sure your voice is heard during one of the most historic elections of our time.
