We all should have paid more attention to The Lorax as a kid.
According to USA Today, the National Parks Service suffered a Valentine’s Day Massacre on February 14, when 1,000 national parks employees were laid off, due to President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal government. A White House fact sheet on Executive Order 14210, explained that terminations like these were necessary because too much government money is being spent on programs that “fail to align with American values.” That’s exactly the problem. We need to rethink what we value most as American citizens and put protecting our environment on that list.
America is trending in the wrong direction when it comes to the environment. We should be prioritizing something that we rely on so heavily. Instead of being on the same team, people and nature are fighting against each other and we are playing a game we cannot win.
National parks are already going to suffer from employee losses, but some of them might suffer even more. USA Today said that some national parks are in even more danger because barriers that protect federal land from energy production are currently under review. The hunt for reliable and affordable energy is commonsensical, but we are looking in the wrong place. The AP News reported that on Trump’s first day back in office, he declared a national energy emergency, the first one in U.S. history, to increase the U.S.’s fossil fuel extraction. The declaration of a national energy shortage allows fossil fuel regulations put in place for environmental protection to be more easily overlooked. Increasing fossil fuel production is part of his policy “drill, baby, drill.” It’s a catchy slogan but a risky idea.
The U.S. is already the leading producer of oil, and crude oil production has been increasing steadily since 2018. Fracking for oil and natural gas is a relatively easy way to get energy, but at the rate the U.S. is going, it is completely unsustainable.
Natural gas and oil are non-renewable resources, and if we use too much, too fast, we will run out. The fracking process also damages the environment all on its own by emitting methane and air pollutants, contaminating groundwater, and much more. By using an excessive amount of fossil fuels, we are slowly killing the only planet we have, and we are hurting ourselves in the process of that destruction. Air pollutants, for example, cause asthma, cancer, and heart disease, and more. Before we know it, we’re going to be in a Wall-E situation, and it’s going to be ugly.
Stopping all use of fossil fuels is an extremely unrealistic goal, but we need to make a change. Shifting more focus to renewable energy is necessary for the safety of the environment and every single person on this planet. Renewable energy like wind, solar, hydraulic, and others are vital sources of power, because they harness the energy we need to function without producing the overwhelming amount of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants that fossil fuels do. Using a source to harness energy that doesn’t release as many greenhouse gases into our atmosphere is a win-win for our environment and human health, that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Los Angeles suffered from large and fast moving fires just last month. There were several factors that played into this horrible environmental disturbance, including powerful winds and overly dense forest, but one of the most important factors is the change in climate. The L.A. fires were able to burn so easily because of the dry vegetation and brush and the arid climate, which is a result of climate change. These ruthless fires killed 29 people, forced over 200,000 people to evacuate, and destroyed around 18,000 structures, which includes people’s homes. Do you care yet? Even in the midst of all this, Trump still pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Moving forward, put the environment and the safety of the public’s health higher on your priorities list. We are on a downward trajectory right now, and it’s going to take a large effort to reverse the destruction we have caused, if we can even come back from it. If you care about the
