What does this mean for the environment?
Last week, the American people made a monumental decision: Democratic nominee Joe Biden was elected as the 46th President of the United States. Leading up to the election, I saw many online arguments from political naysayers who instigated with questions like, “What would really change with a new president?” In short, my response is a lot, especially when considering the United State’s relationship with the environment. On top of this, as college students, our futures and children’s futures depend on how we act now.
The last four years have not been helpful in the nation’s battle to mitigate the effects of climate change. Many of President Donald Trump’s policies have been rooted in reversing President Barack Obama’s efforts concerning the environment. Most notably, the US has pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement from 2015, an international pact to limit global warming to at least below 2 degrees celsius. The ramifications did not just span within the US, but the whole international community felt ripples of these actions.
On the national level, Trump has been equally malicious to environmental efforts.
“Donald Trump has been to climate regulation as General Sherman was to Atlanta,” says Micheal Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change at Columbia University, per The New York Times. Gerrard’s imagery perfectly captures Trump’s actions. Just as Sherman burned through Georgia during the Civil War, Trump tore apart climate regulation over his time in office.
The New York Times estimates that the Trump Administration has dissolved about a hundred environmental policies. This includes the protection of our physical environment. Half of the nation’s wetlands have become unprotected. Rules for car manufacturers involving pollution have become more lenient. The list goes on and on.
However, Biden plans to be the beginning of a change, hoping to return to environmentally progressive policies and reverse the damage inflicted under Trump. Biden has been very vocal about changing much of what Trump has ordered, making the forecast for his presidency somewhat of a reset.
Concerning the environment, Biden has promised that he will return to the Paris Climate Agreement. On top of this, Biden has made it known that he has ambitions for the nation to have net-zero carbon emission by 2050.
“The proposal calls for $2 trillion investment, throughout his term, to boost reliance on clean energy and climate sustainable practices,” outlined the National Public Radio. $2 trillion is a significant amount of money and is hopefully a signal that the Biden administration is serious about the issue. Another important aspect of this plan is that 40% of this fund will support communities more vulnerable to climate change.
At this point, all we know is Biden’s word. Nothing has changed, and nothing is certain. As an inhabitant of the 21st century, I have seen many social media posts emphasizing the need to “hold Biden accountable.” I think this is true for any candidate elected to office to make sure that they attempt to try what they preached and continue letting your voice be heard.
I would say further that we should hold our whole government accountable and continue the same record level of involvement that we saw during the 2020 election. It is not enough to solely look to the President for change but also to Congress and the Supreme Court.
As students who reside in Maine, our voices matter a significant amount. Senator Susan Collins has retained her spot in the Senate, but lost her support from the League of Conservation Voters and accepted campaign funding from fossil fuel companies. This battle continues outside of the White House.
When looking forward to the next four years, I am hopeful that the ramifications of climate change will be mitigated and that we will see cultural changes in the US. I hope that the $2 trillion plan is implemented and successful, and people begin to consider climate change, not as a political issue but an issue to humanity. Until then, all we can do is continue practicing sustainability on an individual basis, coming together for change when the time comes, and remaining optimistic.
~ Adrian Visscher `24
