This land is our land
President-Elect Obama,
In America, nothing speaks louder than money. When rising gas prices hit $4 this summer, people stopped simply complaining and started changing their lifestyles. They traded in their SUVs for smaller cars, began riding the bus, carpooled and found other ways to soften the blow to their wallets. Now that prices are lower than they have been in four years, I worry that fuel and energy issues will no longer be a national concern, and slowly disappear from the agenda.
You, Mr. Obama, are in a position to make sure this doesn’t happen. The environment is already in critical condition, deteriorating at a constant rate. It is an international issue that must be tackled with aggression and urgency. You need to make alternate and renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability a priority during your presidency.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland last month presented an opportunity for you to lay the groundwork to establish the United States as a leader in preventing further damage to the environment. Your attendance would have not only signaled to the American public that your promises of “change” are not empty, but have signaled to the world that a new phase has begun in the effort to fight global warming.
While your decision to decline the invitation to Poznan was partly based on your “one-president-at-a-time” philosophy, now is not the time for humility and passivity. The world needs to know that one of the largest industrialized nations supports the treaty meant to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Without this affirmation, the climate talks hardly progressed, leaving you with much to deal with in 2009. Despite your absence from the Poland talks, and your unassuming attitude towards your position as president-elect, I am hopeful that your promise to bring significant changes is bona fide and substantial.
Government involvement and guidance are necessary to instigate and implement significant changes on behalf of the environment. Germany has made it a national priority to reduce the country’s negative impact on the climate. America is 27 times the size of Germany–just imagine the difference that America could make if we took the same initiative.
Quick fixes alone cannot completely (if at all) solve the climate crisis. Proposals like carbon capture and sequestering will only allow the same dirty and harmful practices to continue until it is too late. You must put pressure on companies to change immediately and permanently. Businesses will not pursue alternate fuels or renewable energy if they can continue using the same methods of production without immediate consequences. President Bush chose to maintain the status quo. You have an opportunity to redeem the federal government’s reputation in environmental matters.
My other worry is that the economic crisis may provide a reason for some to oppose new environmental laws, policies, and plans. You cannot let Big Oil or other special interests deter you from tackling energy issues. And just think, making climate change a priority will lead to the creation of jobs that can’t be outsourced to India, China, and Mexico. If we want to keep the United States competitive and keep jobs here, jobs in sustainability and energy efficiency are necessary.
The state of the environment is especially important to Generation Y. If you do not deal with the crisis now, it may be too late in four years. The damage will soon be irreversible. No other problems that Generation Y stands to inherit are of the same magnitude as climate change and energy. It is time to stop worrying about today. It is time for the U.S. to step up and set the standard by which all countries will preserve the climate for our future.
Category: U.S.
