On Wednesday, President Trump will travel to the Rose Garden to announce a long-awaited decision about withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. The path is fraught with all kinds of peril for environmental advocates.
Climate change is becoming a major threat to public health. More studies have found that it is having a health-damaging effect on public health than previously thought. Our air, our water, and our climate are continuously changing. But despite the heavy toll that climate change is taking on our air, our soil, and our oceans, the United States, as the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, takes on a special role as the only country with any hope of actually making any progress in slowing climate change. It is at the center of this process. The United States has the potential to help lead the world in forging a new international agreement to address climate change, rather than letting it fade away into history.
To that end, there are actually many ways that wealthy people and corporations can help. How could wealthy people and corporations help? Simple. They could either use their money to incentivize companies to turn away from climate change and toward clean energy or reduce their own personal carbon footprints. And they could also lead the way by becoming climate stewards themselves.
A lot of the environmental groups fear the consequences of Trump’s withdrawal. They worry that his actions could send a signal to other countries, including those in the European Union, that America won’t commit to international climate agreements because of domestic partisan interests. Others argue that even if he were to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, that would still leave the United States as a leader in climate change implementation. Still others believe, as a recent Pew Research Center survey on climate change suggests, that the United States risks isolating itself from other countries by exiting the Paris Agreement.
Regardless of what happens this week, there is much work that needs to be done in order to address climate change effectively. The challenge for Trump is obvious. Almost every study points to the need for aggressive reductions in carbon emissions. What is lacking is political will. Each of us has the potential to solve this problem. It is enough to do a little bit. Here are some ways that climate stewards can help in the United States:
1. Vote. Vote more often. Leave our primary responsibility behind to decide who we will vote for. Refuse to vote for candidates who don’t protect climate and boost conservation.
2. Cut back. Plant a hedgerow. Take the stairs rather than the elevator. Take fewer cars to work. Car pool, bike, or walk. There is no need to swim in polluted water. There is no need to own a home near a power plant.
3. Complain. Everyone likes to whine, right? This way you can get a group of friends together and you can complain about the overuse of artificial turf for sports. (The raw horse manure in your backyard will cause soil erosion, pollute your water, and destroy your lawns.) With enough collective rage, it is feasible that the power of our climate stewardship has its day in the sun.
