Saturday, January 6, 2018

Trump and our Natural Heritage

Many Americans could offer a variety of reasons why President Trump should be removed from office but those of us who care about the health and welfare of Earth's natural ecosystems are especially alarmed by the actions of his Administration.  Slashing environmental regulations and ridiculing the science of climate change, they have favored economic development at every turn.

Having opened up National Monuments and Wilderness Areas for oil and mineral extraction, the Trump Administration has now indicated their intention to permit offshore oil drilling along all coastal areas of the U.S., including the Arctic Ocean.  Seemingly blind to the potential complications of such a policy (do they not recall the Deepwater Horizon disaster?), these right-wing zealots are proceeding with reckless disregard for our natural environment.

No doubt, their conservative political convictions are tied to religious beliefs that grant them dominion over the planet (in Trump's case, it's just pure narcissism).  Were they to accept the fact that we humans are part of nature, just another species on the vast tree of life, they would surely be less sanguine about their policies.  Our natural heritage is at risk and a change in national leadership cannot come soon enough.