Though this election year has been filled with an unmatched news cycle, the environment cannot be put on the backburner. Our choice for the White House truly matters for the future of the environment.

After years of warnings from environmental experts, industries in the United States still pollute the environment, the U.S. economy is still based in fossil fuels and human waste is soaring. This year has reminded us that our actions have consequences.

Through hurricanes and derechos, unprecedented forest fires and increasing deforestation, as well as plastic waste choking global ecosystems, the environment is screaming that humans are pushing it to extremes. Not only do these environmental disasters threaten the American way of life, but they also threaten the very survivability of this planet.

As insurmountable as environmental disasters seem to combat, they are undeniably preventable, as long as there is a leader to acknowledge them. The president has the power to mitigate the climate crisis and environmental catastrophe.

The past four years have been a roller coaster for environmentalists. While campaigning in 2016, President Donald Trump called climate change a “hoax” and vowed to bring back coal. Once in office, the Trump administration announced its intent to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Climate Accord and started a quest to remove federal environmental regulations. The administration, under Trump’s advice, has removed nearly 100 environmental regulations that were designed to protect both residents and the environment.

The Trump administration rolled back emission standards for new coal plants, among other regulations. The removal means air quality will decrease around new plants, further hurting the health of families around them. Despite hurting citizens, the Trump administration removed environmental regulations and will continue to remove the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement under the cloak of concerns about the economy.

Fortunately for the environment, the coal industry is a bust for any investor, and in 2019, renewables topped coal in use. Additionally, some states renewed plans to follow the 2015 Paris Climate Accord’s goals even without the federal government following along. But inadvertent environmental respite is temporary. The Trump administration’s unnecessary regulatory removal hurts the environment and the average American citizen.

Science is decisive. Despite the severity of environmental consequences, policies and regulations are practical and easy to implement. Limits on polluting sources are necessary to improve air and water quality, and investments in efficient and green infrastructure are logical solutions. To preserve wilderness areas, limiting industrial activities is also necessary.

In climate science, keeping the atmosphere from warming requires less carbon pollution to slow the greenhouse effect. These are known scientific laws. However, Trump disagreed, saying, “I don’t think science knows, actually.”

Protecting the environment requires strong leadership. This starts with listening to the scientific community and supporting the citizen’s voice over those of special interests. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, understands this. His plans are not “radical.” They are necessary.

Acknowledging that climate change exists is a step toward solving it, and Biden goes beyond acknowledgment. Under Biden’s plan, global warming is not a “hoax,” as Trump asserted. Biden plans to launch a “Clean Energy Revolution” aimed at tackling the economic fallout of the fossil fuel industry and climate change. Through incentivizing the renewable industry, his plan addresses the root of carbon emissions: an economy based on fossil fuels. Additionally, his plan includes investments in environmentally sensitive sectors, such as household utilities, energy and water infrastructure. This plan addresses the average citizen.

Strong leaders are needed to solve environmental issues. As the Trump administration continues to disregard the environment, related issues will continue to worsen. In turn, the average American citizen will continue to face a lower quality of living, and our democracy will continue to be held by those in polluting industries.

Americans must elect real leadership in November. The planet depends on it.

Harrison Vogt is a sophomore environment sustainability policy and communication and rhetorical studies dual major. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at hevogt@syr.edu. He can be followed on Twitter at @VogtHarrison.

Published on September 16, 2020 at 10:01 pm