The future is here—and it’s frightening.
Tuesday Nov. 8 was the day we’ve all been waiting for—the presidential election. It’s been a long, tiring and stressful run—and the only positive outcome from the entire political race is that is that it’s finally over.
The downside, however, this is only the beginning.
Not only did Donald Trump’s victory spark a dramatic response from millions of Americans, people are also already speculating the disasters that could arise due to Trump’s shift in policies. Despite his popular history of controversial language, impulsive personality and overall disapproval with current political stances, one of the most concerning is his ideology on climate change.
The need to combat climate change is one of most vital concerns from researchers, scientists, military experts and the U.S Department of Defense. With global warming on the rise and progressing at an alarming rate, scientific facts along with supporting physical evidence have proven environmental concerns to be more important now than ever. It’s commonly known that republican views differ from democratic when it comes to enacting protection policies for the environment. And even then, it depends on the politician more so than the party when it comes to prioritization.
Many believe Trump will advance our country with his business background, but investing in infrastructure, buying, selling, rebuilding, manufacturing and burning up more and more fossil fuels is a priority that faces serious consequences. Humans have thrived on industrialization for far too long and now is the time to take a stand to protect the environment before we damage it completely.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is known for publishing numerous reports proving facts that prove global warming has increased year after year and only evolving more. A fact sheet produced by NASA’s Earth Science Communications Team at California Institute of Technology noted, “The evidence for rapid climate change is compelling.”
Global temperature and sea level rise is dramatic. According to the Global Climate Change, Vital Signs of the Planet Fact Sheet, “Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century.”
We have all seen the depressing commercials that scare us with melting glaciers and warnings of polar bear endangerment, but it’s not just a tactic to make you donate to a wildlife foundation—it’s a cry to raise awareness for a serious global crises. Due to warming oceans, sea ice and glacial ice sheets have shown a drastic decline while ocean acidification has severely increased.
So aside from the ample amount of problems America has with Donald Trump, his views on climate change are circulating as a top concern. According to an article written in National Geographic, “Trump has long questioned whether climate change is real, and he has dismissed claims that it poses a major threat” and during his campaign, “he extolled a resurgent U.S fossil fuel industry, at the expense of existing policies combating climate change.”
Nat Geo also stated that Trump’s stance on financial cuts may be concerning when it comes to his plans for the United Nations climate change programs, the U.S Environment Protection Agency and the Obama administration’s Climate Action Plan. These organizations are crucial and it’s daunting to think about Trump’s strategy for financial negotiations and prioritization.
As one of the shots Hillary Clinton fired at Trump during the debates, she reminded everyone that he referred to climate change as a “hoax invented by the Chinese.” He quickly contested that claim even though a tweet from 2012 proves otherwise:
According to PolitiFact, Trump claimed the tweet was a joke, mainly the part about the Chinese, even though he has a history of connecting the words “climate change” with “hoax.” Bernie Sanders also called out Trump during the Democratic debate and he responded by telling Fox & Friends, “Well, I think the climate change is just a very, very expensive form of tax. A lot of people are making a lot of money. I know much about climate change. I'd be — received environmental awards. And I often joke that this is done for the benefit of China. Obviously, I joke. But this is done for the benefit of China, because China does not do anything to help climate change. They burn everything you could burn; they couldn't care less. They have very — you know, their standards are nothing. But they — in the meantime, they can undercut us on price. So it's very hard on our business.”
Yeah. Whatever that means.
As the most advanced species on our planet, damaging the majority of its natural habitats, the environment needs humans now more than ever. This should be one of America’s top priorities and contributions to the world. We've done enough industrializing, it's time to focus on sustainable alternatives to preserve our beloved ecosystem for generations to come.
And to our soon-to-be new POTUS—this is nothing to joke about.
*This upsetting video puts things into perspective. Find out how what you can do to help.