If you have been following Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, especially as someone who cares about the future of our planet, you are probably getting pretty frustrated. However, in the midst of the terrible cabinet picks, President Barack Obama did something great: On Dec. 28, he created the Bears Ears National Park, protecting nearly 2,000 square miles of American desert, which includes the two twin geological formations called the Bears Ears. Although there is some opposition to the creation of the national park, the general consensus is that it was a good move environmentally.
National parks provide a variety of benefits including protecting biodiversity that might otherwise be endangered. Protected areas provide “life-sustaining services vital for the wellbeing of our environment,” according to the website of the National Parks Association of New South Wales. The existence of national parks doesn’t just make the environmentalists happy, though. National parks are responsible for bringing in tourism and creating jobs, which are economically beneficial to the country. In 2012, the National Park System created more than 200,000 jobs, and in 2013, generated nearly $26.7 billion revenue. These parks range from the biggest and most popular like the Grand Canyon to small local national parks.
Considering that a many colleges within NC State are emphasizing a “green” curriculum, the creation of the new national park is relevant to a variety of NC State students. If you are in the Poole College of Management, you can actually find professors who are incorporating environmental awareness in their courses. On top of that, the Jenkins MBA program has a gold chapter status on Net Impact, with a rating of 3.5/5 for environmental awareness in the curriculum, highlighting how the college emphasizes awareness.
NC State also has a department in the College of Natural Resources dedicated to Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Students in this department are taught about the industry, which includes learning the importance of protecting wildlife and promoting national parks. For example, the College of Natural Resources took particular interest in the National Parks System this past year since the NPS turned 100 years old. There were various events here on campus, including documentaries and speakers, to celebrate the birthday of the national parks system.
Since NC State as a whole is a particularly environmentally aware university, Trump’s cabinet picks are not the most encouraging when it comes to being hopeful about our environmental future. Although I was initially hopeful that he would switch sides in regards to his stance on climate change, the president-elect quickly dissolved my hopefulness with picks like Rick Perry for secretary of energy, Scott Pruitt for EPA administrator and, wait for it, Rex Tillerson for secretary of state.
Trump’s cabinet picks really highlight the polarity between what he plans for his administration compared to Obama’s. In Obama’s eight years as president, he moved America in the right direction to help fix human impact. From 2008-2015, his administration lessened carbon dioxide emissions by 9.4 percent while the economy grew 10.6 percent. Electricity generated from solar sources increased 30 fold, while wind sources tripled. His administration not only talked mad game about moving toward a healthier environment, but it actually followed through.
Now, we have a president-elect who does not even believe that climate change exists, despite the scientific community being in unanimous agreement about the existence of the phenomenon. Obama even addressed the irrationality of Trump’s stance on climate change in his farewell speech when saying, “…to simply deny the problem not only betrays future generations; it betrays the essential spirit of innovation and practical problem-solving that guided our founders.”
America is better for the changes that Obama made over his eight-year administration. However, from the looks of Trump’s cabinet picks, our country will be stopping the progress towards being environmentally aware for some time. By choosing people like Tillerson and Perry, and choosing to believe that climate change does not even exist, the president-elect has made it clear that the environment is not a top priority. This only further highlights the differences between our past president and our future one. As NC State students, we should use our resources to change the minds of those who still do not believe in climate change while also making conscious efforts to live and learn in a greener way.
