The consequences of a lack of U.S. climate change policy
When a global leader with the world’s largest economy fails to act on climate change, the consequences extend far beyond the United States. It is in the national and economic interest of the U.S. to impose practical, attainable, and measurable environmental policies.
As the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind only China, the dismissal of the need to reduce CO2 emissions will not only impact the environment and overall human health, but will also have critical economic costs. President Trump’s inability to act rationally on climate change will end up costing the U.S. more than it would to implement strategic policies and measures to mitigate climate change implications. For instance, according to the Washington Post, the U.S. faced over $200 billion of damages in 2017 as a result of storms and hurricanes that devastated many parts of the country. While most of these natural disasters are often unforeseeable and unpreventable, they may become more frequent and catastrophic as a result of extreme changes in the climate. Consequently, it is in the economic interest of the U.S. to implement short-term and long-term climate change policies to protect their economic prosperity.
If the U.S. continues on its current course of inaction, they are also likely to face greater political repercussions. Their reputation as a world leader will be severely weakened by refusing to support and advocate for appropriate environmental policies. On the other hand, some have argued that the lack of U.S. leadership on the issue is actually beneficial to the global climate movement. For instance, following a visit to the U.S., environmental activist Greta Thunberg explained that Trump’s extreme denial of climate change may encourage people to “wake up,” and educate themselves on the facts and science behind the issue. Thus, President Trump’s strong anti-climate message may alternatively be creating more awareness among the American public to demand immediate government action. However, while Ms. Thunberg seems to have taken an optimistic perspective to Trump’s rhetoric, there should also be caution to avoid pushing the public towards the complete opposite extreme. Greater polarization of the issue will only make it more difficult to come to a consensus. The U.S. needs to find a middle ground between “climate change is not real” vs. “the world is going to end tomorrow if we don’t act now.”
There have been slight signs of hope towards bridging this gap. For instance, Republican Senator Mike Braun and Democratic Senator Chris Coons worked together to create a bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, similar to the one established in the House in 2016. The commitment of these bipartisan groups in both the House and Senate to create durable and economically feasible environmental policies is essential in overcoming the divisiveness of the issue. Cooperation between both Democrats and Republicans demonstrates that the consequences of climate inaction are not partisan as it affects all Americans, and should thus be a national concern.
While President Trump may be appealing to a significant portion of his base supporters by fulfilling a campaign promise in seeking to withdraw from the Paris Accord, he is also ignoring a large wave of climate activism in the country, including within his own party. The youth of the Republican party are beginning to demand greater government action on climate change as they believe the scientific evidence of the issue. Additionally, many prominent Republicans, such as Senator Mitt Romney and Senator Lindsay Graham, both of whom joined the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, have begun to gradually support climate policies. Graham has expressed the need for Republicans to step up their game in “[coming] up with a good environmental agenda to show the public at large that the party cares.”
Thus, even with a Republican government in power, there are promising signs of movements occurring in the right direction. Democratic and Republican leaders, as well as the youth of the country, need to continue pushing this momentum forward. With the environmental, human, political, and economic consequences at risk, the U.S. can no longer dismiss the need to implement immediate and feasible national environmental policies.