Even before Trump became president in 2017, it was well known that he was not a supporter of environmental actions. In 2012, he famously tweeted that climate change was a hoax perpetuated by the Chinese, showing his blatant disregard for scientific facts. Now that he is in office, his policies have been detrimental to the environment, and are frankly putting the Earth in severe danger. It is up to us to stay informed and try to prevent Trump from damaging the environment in ways that cannot be undone.
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One significant thing that President Trump has done since entering office is pulling out of the Green Climate Fund. This fund was set up in 2010 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to assist lesser developed countries in industrializing in a green fashion. Overdeveloped countries, such as the United States, Canada, and much of Europe, contribute to this fund. President Obama promised 3 billion dollars to the Green Climate Fund, 1 billion of which was paid while he was in office. President Trump decided to stop contributing to the fund once he was elected and withdrew from the Paris Agreement, and thus is not supporting the sustainable development of lesser developed countries, or the protection of countries, such a small island nations, which are currently being harmed by climate change.
President Trump also supports the construction of two major pipelines in the United States, the Keystone XL Pipeline, and the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Keystone XL would be similar to the Keystone pipeline, a pipeline that currently delivers oil from Canada through the United States, but would utilize a more direct route. There is opposition to this because the new Pipeline would cut through the Sandhills region of Nebraska, which is a fragile ecosystem. Pipelines always carry the risk of spillage, and if a spill were to occur in this region, it could wreak havoc on the wildlife in the area. The Dakota Access Pipeline is widely contested because this pipeline would go under the Missouri River, which is a main water source for the Standing Rock Sioux. If this pipeline were to leak, their water source would become polluted and undrinkable. Trump’s support of these projects shows his blatant disregard for the wellbeing of the environment and the people in these regions.
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The current Republican tax bill will also be detrimental to the environment. The Tax bill includes a provision that allows drilling to take place in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Even though this refuge is home to polar bears, caribou, and several bird species, Pro-drilling Senators such as Lisa Murkowski still support this provision as they claim it could develop revenue to offset the debt that would be caused by the tax bill. This statement is false as Arctic drilling would produce 1.8 billion dollars at most, whereas the tax bill is calculated to create 1.5 trillion dollars’ worth of debt. Lisa Murkowski also claims that the revenues could be used to fight climate change, which is a somewhat irrational claim. Why would someone fight climate change by damaging the planet and making our country more dependent on oil?
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Trump also has drastically reduced the size of several national monuments. He recently cut 84% of Bears Ears National Monument, and about half of Grand Staircase-Escalante, which are located in Utah. By reducing the size of these monuments, Trump has made more land available to mining and drilling companies, and ultimately put more ecosystems at risk of damage. However, this land is still owned by the federal government, and are unlikely to be privately owned any time soon.
Although the Trump administration is promoting policies that damage the environment, it is important to remember that Trump is not the only world leader. Every other global leader has agreed to the Paris agreement and state and local governments are still determined to fight climate change. California is currently striving to reduce their carbon emissions to the level they were in 1990 and passed a ban on plastic bags in the 2016 election. Individuals can also make a difference by driving less, eating less beef, and by using less plastic. It is important to remember that just because Trump has given up the battle with climate change, it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to as well. Every action matters. So, keep living green, and vote for environmentally friendly politicians in 2018 to ensure that the man we elected in 2016 doesn’t harm our planet forever.