Make America Great Again

Make America Great Again has been one of the taglines used by President Donald Trump since 2016. For me, the connotation of this tagline is to make America great at the expense of other nations, economies and even species.

It is no secret that Trump’s presidency is based on a ruthless ideology of capitalism over anything else, but one of the most dangerous aspects of his presidency is the lifted protections for at-risk animals as part of his aggressive rollback of environmental rules.

Biodiversity in the world is at its worst state in human history, 1 million land and marine species across the globe are threatened with extinction.

In a now “usual” spectacle of ignorance, the Trump administration has lifted protections for America’s animals and opened up a huge amount of federal land for oil and gas drilling, coal mining and other industrial activities.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/20/trump-administration-endangered-species-environmental-rules

According to the New York Times and data from Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School, the Trump administration has rolled back nearly 70 environmental rules and regulations in the past 4 years. That’s a harrowing figure and unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be getting enough media attention. It is frightening to think that this much environmental damage has been caused in just 4 years.

While the world waits with bated breath as to what America’s decision will be today, we need to remind ourselves that one person cannot dictate the faith of all our planet.

A personal fear of mine is that the American people’s decision could easily influence other world leaders to follow Trump’s catastrophic environmental policies (or lack thereof) and continue promoting and encouraging oil & gas companies to thrive, such as is the case in Brazil.

On the other hand, oil companies have had no choice but to become fully aware of the shift in mentality in society when it comes to the use of fossil fuels. Companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, and Saudi Aramco are ramping up output of plastic which is made from oil and gas, and their by-products. This is all done in an effort to combat the possibility that a serious global response to climate change might reduce demand for their fuels.

What they do not take into account, is that society does have a choice in the increased use of plastic. It does not matter how many plastic products they create, if they can not find a market for it.

To me this is clearly one of the avenues society needs to explore in our fight against capitalism, the enrichment of oil companies and the deterioration of our planet.

We all have a daily choice to purchase one product or another, or none at all. We all have a choice to NEVER buy single use plastics. We all have a choice to use our money to purchase materials that are not harmful to the environment and we should all exercise that right of choice.

If Trump is re-elected today, there is nothing we can do about that tragedy. But remember you make choices that support his beloved oil lobbyists every single day when you buy single use plastic products.

Buy local, buy eco products as much as possible, abolish single use plastics from your life, and put some thought behind where your hard earn money is going.

Help us be part of the solution and not the problem and eradicate SUP from your workplace and your life TODAY.

Raquel