Climate change is an important issue for preserving earth for future generations. One of the biggest barriers between ideas and action is the government and its intricacies. From Republicans to Democrats to private lobbyists, many different groups have their own conflicting agendas. Because of all this disagreement, real change is incredibly hard to achieve. Change is not made any easier by the increasing polarization surrounding America’s most recent presidential election.
Climate change has been recognized as a major problem since the 1990s. When the problem was first introduced, George H.W. Bush promised to address it, saying, “Those who think we are powerless to do anything about the ‘greenhouse effect’ are forgetting about the ‘White House effect.’”
Though this attempt had the best intentions, his motivations got bogged down in the political mire. While trying to pass action, he had to deal with tons of lobbyists from oil companies. After dealing with the lobbyists, his message was severely watered down when he finally took action, instead suggesting more moderate policies and reversing his attacks on oil companies. Though he was successful at bringing attention to climate change
After Bush’s presidency, oil companies spent billions of dollars promoting the idea that climate change was a radical left issue made up by liberals who wanted to control others’ lives. This politicization prevented the nation and prevented meaningful action from taking place, allowing oil to continue to be the dominant source of power across the globe.
The effects of this can be seen today in the most recent election. President elect, Donald Trump, has stated in the past that he believes climate change is a hoax and, more recently, has shed doubt on its true impact. Additionally, during his presidency, he reduced many emission regulation laws.
In contrast, Kamala Harris stated that she believes climate change is a major crisis, citing the recent uptake in catastrophic natural disasters. This shows how, in the current political environment, the effects of the ad campaign run by oil companies in the 1990s are still very evident. Many hardcore conservative groups will maintain that climate change is either not real or insignificant compared to what some may claim.
Ultimately, the United States government draws its power from the people, and because people are so divided about climate change, real solutions are hard to achieve.
