OPINION: Earth Day and climate change
It took just 68 days for former President Barack Obama’s policies to help combat against the effects of climate change to be undone … Sixty-eight days. This was accomplished by the stroke of a pen as President Donald Trump signed an executive order, effectively destroying the Obama administration’s policies to fight climate change by reducing the amount of carbon emissions that contributes to air pollution. The pressure is mounting to give in, but now is the time to fight back.
Five years ago, I watched the great state of New York pick up the pieces from a devastating hurricane. Sandy exacted damage on families physically and emotionally — destroying homes and memories all at once. For this reason, we cannot be bystanders in this fight as the evidence is overwhelming. Last year was the hottest year on the planet, and Mother Earth will continue to be damaged unless we act now.
Under the Climate Action Plan created by President Obama, the U.S. would take steps to decrease the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the country. As seen in the figure below, under the Climate Action Plan, GHG emissions would continue to keep falling.