The Final Push for the Protection of Our Environment
Our environment is a complex and interconnected system that allows the actions of one country to affect the lives and wellbeing of others in a different country across the globe. Unfortunately, that is not always a positive thing. We are no longer just spreading ideas, innovative technology, and inspiration for political revolutions. We are, in fact, spreading pollution, natural disasters, and environmental injustices. In the pursuit of progress, we have put profit before people, and because of this people around the world are experiencing drastic environmental changes that have caused unimaginable devastations. Climate change is an issue that can no longer be ignored or denied. Before our very eyes we have seen how much different our world has become, and scientists have done their research to provide the data to prove it. However, despite the large amount of data that has been presented, we still face strong opposition from political figures that make it difficult to put in place policies that will better protect the environment and protect people from facing environmental injustices. Domestically, the United States is under a political regime that does not only believe that climate change is not a pressing issue, but that it doesn’t even exist at all. As a developed country, the United States has a responsibility to be a leader in sustainable efforts, but if the right leadership is not set in place, along with collaborative efforts, we will continue to see devastation and hardships befall on those who do not always have the means to have their voices heard.
President Donald Trump placed Scott Pruitt as the current administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. His placement is extremely problematic for the department that has already faced claims of failing to protect America’s most vulnerable communities from dangerous pollution. Since he has said research on global warming would not be priority over other EPA fact-finding work, Pruitt is trying to move the department’s priorities towards improving water and air quality. However, recent decisions that he has made go against that direction. Recently, the EPA, under Pruitt’s control, decided that surveys from oil and gas operators meant to help the department craft a rule on existing sources of methane emissions will no longer be required because they received a letter of complaint from nine states that argued that the surveys were “time-consuming and costly for oil and gas producers.” By not having this regulation in place, there is a risk for air quality to worsen which can lead to birth defects and other health risks. His past ties to oil and gas industries have given him the perspective of a polluter and will influence how he approaches regulations. In addition, Pruitt has spent most of his career fighting federal environmental regulation, but has very little experience fighting on behalf of environmental protection. The combination of all of these different factors make Scott Pruitt unfit to run the EPA and lead the United States into a more sustainable future.
The appointment of Scott Pruitt is not the only crisis that the department is facing. Trump has threatened to cut ¼ of the EPA’s budget, which will threaten the agency’s core mission of protecting the health of the people and the environment. With a reduced budget that has already been in decline for these past few years, the EPA will lose staffers and have their resources severely reduced, which will make the enforcement of environmental regulations extremely difficult. Companies and corporations need to be held accountable for their actions, especially if their actions have put the public’s health in jeopardy. By not being able to enforce environmental regulations, air and water quality can continue to worsen, watersheds or groundwater will continue to be polluted, and disadvantaged communities will have an increase of health risks. Trump claims he wants to “make america great again,” but if he is putting the health and well being of the American people in danger by cutting the budget, then he is already failing.
It is important for the American people to raise these concerns to their local elected officials. If we are able to work together to raise awareness on environmental issues and the importance of tackling these issues as soon as possible, we can make progress in creating better policies and regulations. That means we need to bring together different groups that play an important role of environmental regulation, such as policy makers, scientists, activist groups, and testimonials from local people. We also need give a voice to the voiceless and highlight injustices that are taking place across disadvantaged communities all over the nation. Everyone has the right to a safe and healthy environment, regardless of class or color. So we the people, of these United States, will organize and remind this administration that the real power lies with us.
