The planet is dying: oceans are drowning in oil and garbage, trees are being uprooted left and right and the atmosphere is suffocating in toxic gases. The people who have the power to protect the environment–lawmakers–are allowing the world to spin closer and closer to its demise.
Whether it’s polarization, money or self-interests, politicians across the nation are failing to save the most precious resource humans have–the Earth itself. According to the World Wildlife Fund, this situation has become so severe that the planet is experiencing its sixth mass extinction, something that hasn’t occurred since the dinosaurs were wiped out. A threat to the environment is a threat to every human being, so it is essential that citizens advocate for lawmakers who won’t let the environment burn down without a fight.
Political polarization is the biggest reason meaningful environmental actions can’t be implemented. According to the National Library of Medicine, lawmakers can’t make progress in reversing climate change because of its polarizing nature.
However, this shouldn’t be a matter of blue or red ideologies when we all need a green planet. Politicians need to snap out of their political gridlock and realize that party lines won’t matter in the future if there’s no people to draw them.
Citizens also need to be more critical of the people they are putting in places of power. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that some politicians vote against environmental legislation to continue being funded by oil and gas companies.
They will jeopardize the health of future generations for a simple check, and this only perpetuates the hold big corporations and individual politicians have on citizens.
Voters need to take an active role in researching candidates to find out how their campaigns are being funded and what companies they invest in. Choosing politicians that have a vested interest in the environment and not just their own bank accounts will increase the influence of environmental activists in the government.
There also need to be serious regulations put on lobbyists and corporations that try to influence elections with their money. Just because an oil executive donates large sums to a politician doesn’t mean they should have more of a say in how the country is run, nor should lawmakers go against the common good to satisfy a few wealthy people.
Current politicians have proven that they cannot be trusted to ignore the temptation of money, and the corporations that continue to pillage the environment are all too happy to keep signing checks. Thus, legislation limiting the abilities of lobbyists is essential if any progress for the planet is to be made.
Legislators continue to abuse their power without making any effort to save the environment. They are jeopardizing the very existence of humans.
As of just a few weeks ago, America withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, and renewable energy funds are being depleted. Clearly, the people who make up Congress and state legislatures don’t have the interests of the planet at heart. Thus, voters need to inform themselves and advocate for environmental laws before current administrations condemn the Earth to a smog-filled, irreparable future.
