Earth is our most important resource, the one thing that connects the animals, plants and 7.7 billion people that inhabit the third planet from the sun.
On Monday, we recognize Earth Day, a commemoration that dates to 1970 and a then-burgeoning environmental movement that sought to promote preservation of our collective home. Numerous local events are scheduled through the city of Vancouver and Clark County this weekend in connection with Earth Day, encouraging residents to volunteer and connect with the environment.
While the philosophy of Earth Day should be extended throughout the year, it is particularly important these days as federal policy continues to shift away from environmental protection. The Trump administration has consistently pursued programs designed to increase the use of fossil fuels, roll back environmental guidelines, and promote short-term economic gains at the expense of future generations.
Indeed, then-candidate Donald Trump was clear about his environmental thinking while running for president, and he won the election; obviously, many Americans agree with him. But it remains the duty of those who disagree to point out the errors of Trump’s policies and to work for the benefit of the planet that we share. It is difficult to believe that a leader who denies the science of climate change, withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement and wrongly claims that windmills cause cancer has the capacity to understand environmental issues.
Most recently, Trump signed two executive orders trying to limit the power of states to slow fossil-fuel projects. This would make it more difficult for local governments to block pipelines or projects such as a proposed coal terminal in Longview or a proposed methanol plant in Kalama.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson responded by saying, “We intend to challenge any attempt by the administration to illegally constrain Washington’s authority to protect our state’s natural resources.” Considering that, by Ferguson’s count, Washington is 19-0 in court against the Trump administration on issues ranging from immigration to travel bans to the environment, the odds are good that the state will effectively point out the legal shortcomings of the latest policy change.
Other Republican policies also should be regarded as anathema to Washington residents, including a desire to allow offshore drilling, rules that would increase the dumping of toxic pollution into state waters and attempts to prevent states from establishing their own fuel standards for vehicles.
The list goes on. And while we often disagree with Trump’s approach to the environment, disagreement is not really the issue. The issue is an administration that consistently has violated the law in attempting to impose its vision of environmental policy.
But we digress. Earth Day is not about Donald Trump, but about recognizing that human activity has a profound and lasting impact upon the planet. That recognition first became widespread in the early 1970s, when Americans realized that unchecked industrialization had fouled our air and water, damaging our health and our environment. The federal Environmental Protection Agency was created by President Richard Nixon in 1970 and had broad bipartisan support in Congress.
Since then, regulations have sharply reduced air and water pollution throughout the country, reflecting the notion that the planet requires care and that human health is dependent on the planet’s health. It is a notion that remains true today and continues to serve as the impetus behind Earth Day.
