Throughout his presidency and pre-presidency, Trump has shown a disregard for the environment. Whether it be stating that climate change is just a hoax, or propagating the revival of coal and other fossil fuel industries, it is clear that Trump has not the slightest concern for the environment. Ironically, one of Trump's most famous policy's (that arguably won him the campaign), the wall, also has a large environmental toll. Out of all of the policy's Trump has proposed, this one would be seen the least likely to be a detriment to the environment. "In terms of climate adaptation, building a border wall is an act of self-sabotage," said Dan Millis, a program manager with the Sierra Club's Borderlands project. This is because it blocks wildlife migration even more than what currently exists. Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. That current borders "have led to erosion and flooding in border communities as well as a roadblock for the natural movement of wildlife across the border". Once again we see that adding more borders not only has monetary costs but environmental. And for what? We already have some of the strongest border security in the world. As perfectly worded by Raphael Sperry, president of the San Francisco-based Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility, "Fueling climate change does not help public health, safety and welfare. It actually jeopardizes public health, safety and welfare." The pipelines were enough, please no wall, the earth thanks you.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trumps-wall-could-cause-serious-environmental-damage/
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As of today, 2016 has been declared the hottest year on record, seconded by 2015 and 2014. To make matters even worse, 16 of the 17 hottest years ever recorded have been in this century, showing just how much of an impact humans have on the planet. It is hard to believe that some people still do not believe in man made climate change. While it is true that 2016 was especially hot because of El Niño, that still does not explain 2015 or 2014.It is obvious that rising temperatures are due to man, so once again we find that it is imperative for the world to reduce global carbon emission. With carbon ppm on the rise, global warming is a slippery slope, and if we continue on the path we are heading on, we might not be able to return. The more the earth warms, the more environmental disasters take place, cost not only money, but even human lives.
http://www.livescience.com/57537-2016-was-hottest-year-on-record.html With the new year comes new public policies. One major issue within the status quo is the drastic decline in bee populations. This is important because 1.4 billion jobs and 75% of all crops depend on pollinators like bees. Additionally the guardian finds that, " 20,000 species of bees are responsible for fertilizing more than 90% of the worlds 107 major crops" (1). Last year, the United Nations found that 40% of invertebrate pollinators - particularly bees- risk global extinction. This is why Europe is placing a ban on harmful pesticides that could be contributing to the decline in bee population. This ban is potentate in protecting Bees. Similar to a number of policies, Europe always seems to be a lot farther ahead than the US, and with this substantial change, one can only hope that it spreads to the US. Even though banning some pesticides won't save the Bee population, it is a step in the right direction that hopefully many will follow.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/12/europe-should-expand-bee-harming-pesticide-ban-say-campaigners |
Matthew Hesse16 Years old Archives
May 2017
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