http://time.com/4564224/donald-trump-climate-change/
I felt as though it was particularly important
to talk about the election and how the outcome will impact action towards
environmental protection.
The link above explores how President-elect
Trump could negatively impact climate change action. Donald Trump has not been quiet about his views
regarding global warming and climate change.
He has said “the concept of global warming was created by and for the
Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” The international community, particularly environmental
organizations, were all watching the election to see if the U.S. would elect a
president who would support global efforts to tackle this problem or if it
would elect a president who would reverse or stall progress that has been made.
The article states that climate scientists,
policymakers, and diplomats never imagined Trump winning. Instead, “people who have dedicated their
lives to working to save the planet always preferred to focus optimistically on
how they could push a President Hillary Clinton further to the left on climate
policy” (Worland).
In regards to the Paris Agreement, Trump has
promised to cancel the agreement because it makes the United States less
economically competitive in comparison to China. Luckily, withdrawing from the agreement will
take a very long time and making any changes to the agreement would essentially
be impossible. However, Trump could
decide to not adhere to the accord since it is non-binding and there are no
repercussions for non-compliance.
As we have discussed in class before, the United
States is a global hegemon. Due to this,
the U.S. has typically felt the obligation to adhere to international treaties,
at least in appearance. The U.S. sets a
precedent for other countries. If the
U.S. were to not uphold the standards set by the Paris Agreement other
countries will not see any incentive or need to follow the agreement
either. This would be dangerous. Climate change is a global problem and needs
to be combatted by the international community as a whole. If Donald Trump moves towards eliminating
efforts or disregarding progress that has been made the climate change
situation will be disastrous.
Trump has said he will get rid of much
environmental regulation that is currently in place in order to help
industries. To what extent does helping
industry even matter when there will be no industry in the future if combating
global warming is not the first priority.
Trump needs to understand that economic progress is not going to help
people if it is at the expense of the environment. It does not matter if pollution happens in
the Untied States, China, or Australia.
It all goes into the shared world and impacts everyone. Global consciousness and cooperation is
essential.
The reality is that Donald Trump has been
elected president. Individuals and
organizations will have to fight even harder to keep the United States, and
ultimately the world, on a proactive path towards cutting carbon emissions and
keeping climate change policy a priority.
The link posted above seems to try and be optimistic about the future of
climate change. I will try and do the
same.
Donald Trump has not necessarily been an active supporter of reducing climate change or transforming himself into an environmental activist. However, he has openly supported supplying clean water to everyone, eliminating deathly diseases such as malaria, and developing alternative methods of energy production. He is not as cynical as the post portrays. Trump is also in favor of keeping public land in the control of the federal government; the laws and regulations will assist in preserving wildlife and resources. The President has also recently stated that he is going to have an open-mind concerning climate change. He has lived the majority of his life as a businessman - not a politician or environmentalist. Hopefully, as you stated, his presidency will lead to more knowledge concerning the issue. However, it should not overlook his stances on other issues. Hilary Clinton expressed her climate change concerns, yet that does not imply she would have followed through on her promises. Furthermore, even the measures which former President Obama undertook to assist the climate change dilemma was not enough. Trump is never going to be the answer to ending climate change - it is impossible. All we can do is hope that the President and his legislation will have the best interests of the American individuals in mind while making crucial decisions. Finally, Trump stated that his comments concerning the Chinese conspiracy was a joke, not something to be taken literally. His stance is only viable because a lot of government officials make a substantial amount of money while trying to go more green. It is hard to believe to that people are solely concerned about climate change - not the money making industry.
ReplyDeleteWhat ways could you see individuals or organizations fight harder in order to bring awareness to climate change and the threat Donald Trump brings to these environmental issues?
ReplyDeleteGlobal warming has been put on the back burner for way too long. If we do not treat our environment it will not be around for much longer to continually treat us. Nothing lasts forever. Resources aren't infinite. Profit and growth will eventually come with a cost. However, it is not shocking to see one of the most successful businessmen cutting environmental regulations now that he has the power to do so. Especially if the costs associated with the de-regulations will not directly effect him.
ReplyDelete