President Barak Obama said "Americans should embrace their national parks as symbols of the planet’s beauty and history—and help protect them from the ravages of climate change".
I have a hard time high-praising environmental coalitions sometimes because I am not proud that we are trying so hard to fix problems we created so willy-nilly. The new Climate Action Plan aims to "cut carbon pollution, help prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change, and continue to lead international efforts to address global climate change". Yes, this is great and another awesome high-five step to help cure the environment of what we humans are still doing to it. I say this as I type on my petroleum based computer streaming over fossil fuel based electrical grids providing my wifi while I have at least 2 non-essential lights on in the house during the daytime.
As Obama nears the final lap of his presidency he and his administration are more and more focused on environmental conservation issues but he says "sometimes there is such as thing as too late" which makes me scream the question "WHY ARE WE STILL DOING BAD THINGS!?" There are two facts it all comes down to; first, the planet was here first and we came later (its just science) and second, we cannot keep doing what we're doing and expect to have a long comfortable stay here on spaceship earth.
I will say that The Obama Administration, since the Roosevelt Administration is doing more good than bad in ways of trying to curb and reverse our impact on the environment (except for promoting #-child laws and more farm based communities). Currently there are more incentives for being "green" (even though the mining for lithium batteries is significantly worse than buying a used fossil fuel based car and using oil that has already been mined and refined for commercial use).
One of President Obama's executive orders was for part of the Climate Action Plan "establishing a Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience to advise the Administration on how the federal government can respond to the needs of communities nationwide that are dealing with the impacts of climate change". Obama and his administration are taking large steps and making hard policy with good incentives for being kind to the environment and begging for forgiveness from nature.
I will praise the Obama Administration for promoting more eco-conscious methods for global change. Making it more lucrative for big business and big government to want to go green, even if for the wrong reasons. I salute the current social trend of "going outside"(as long as you pick up your damn trash and don't light/sound pollute nature into dying). Working for REI I get to experience the outdoors for myself, through others, and with a great company. My fear is that one day all that will be left of the green spaces, the national parks, and the trails will be the concrete and metal monuments we build to celebrate them through time. My fear is that we will eat the forests to poop out housing that no one can afford. I still think more can be done, but we'll get there and hopefully it won't be too late.
This year marks the Centennial Anniversary (100 year) for the National Parks System. This means we have been told by the government to conserve, respect, and admire these specific parts of the environment for 100 years and we are still continuing to have to be told by the government how not to kill the planet.
I do encourage you, in some time where you find yourself getting numb to netflix and can't even remember what happened 10 minutes ago to your favourite character ever, to go outside and just be in nature without interupting it for 20 minutes and see how being here, on this planet, is a priveledge and not a right.
Reading Sydney's blog post titled "Nature Was Here First" was a full pleasure and definetly was a good read. My classmate immediately grabs my attention with a quote from our President saying "Americans should embrace their national parks as symbols of the planet’s beauty and history—and help protect them from the ravages of climate change". I feel like this was a great opener to her editorial and captured the attention of her audience.
ReplyDeleteShe then went on in the next paragraph to argue that she is not proud that our country is "trying so hard to fix problems that we have created so willy-nilly." This statement in itself is quite the statement and I have a lot of respect for someone to say "Hey, I am not proud of something that our country has done." She then goes on to say a quite witty comment that portrays here as being slightly hypocritical in a humorous way. However, just by saying that she build relation with the reader. I know that I am sitting here writing with a couple lights on that I don't need and therefore can join in on her witty hypocritical party.
My fellow classmate then goes on to state two important facts that do ring very true to me. The first, is that the earth was here before us. Secondly, we can not anticipate how much longer earth will last while not trying our best to preserve it. For the remainder of her post, she talks about how President Obama has been doing more good than harm and a much better job at preserving our planet as well as promoting more Eco-friendly policies.
My classmate Sydney finally concludes with her concerns that we will not preserve this earth until it is too late. That is a concern shared with many, including myself. She then ends on a note that leaves a bit of an after taste to take with you by saying that this year marks the Centennial Anniversary for the National Parks System. Then she explains that this means that " we have been told by the government to conserve, respect, and admire these specific parts of the environment for 100 years" but yet we are "still continuing to have to be told by the government how not to kill the planet." Overall, I felt as though this was a very solid piece and had some very passionate arguments behind it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece and recommend others to read it as well.
thanks for reading! i'm glad you enjoyed it and i hope it keeps ringing true for you! keep enjoying and loving the outdoors!
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