Losing the Future
written by hope samudio
For centuries the Earth has been slowly changing, and not for the better. As everyone has continued to mindlessly roam this Earth, the carbon footprint made has become greater than we could imagine, and the greenhouse gasses continue to build. Yes, the world has changed naturally, and change can never be fully stopped. However, the thing that can be stopped is the man-made impact which is causing temperatures to rapidly rise at a scary rate. This puts the future in danger. You may not care because it “won’t affect you,” but it will affect your kids, your friends' kids, wildlife, … anything and everything can be ruined due to climate change.
Source: EPA
On June 30th, 2022, SCOTUS made another decision that disappointed millions. West Virginia coal miners had petitioned the court. It was a shock that the court took this case due to Biden not yet having an act or rule in place regarding the EPA and its powers. Ending in a 6-3 vote SCOTUS concluded that they would be overstepping their boundaries of legal control by allowing the EPA to control greenhouse gas emissions by requiring changes to electrical grids. This decision doesn’t completely destroy the EPA’s power, but it will stunt the growth in making a healthier and safer environment.
Many are still in denial of climate change and don’t believe in it. Even if some do, there are still large masses who will honor capitalism to the point of destruction against the Earth. One thing we are seeing is how big power plants are a part of this 'production over safety' mindset that has been created. Power plants continuing to gain more freedom over how much gasses they can emit is a factor bringing worry across the nation. In response to this many are heartbroken and struck with worry, but EPA’s Administrator isn’t going to stop protecting this planet. Michael S. Regan released a statement saying “As a public health agency, EPA’s number one responsibility is to protect people’s health, especially those who are on the front lines of environmental pollution. Make no mistake: we will never waver from that responsibility.” He continues to share his disappointment that many others hold as well.
Source: Greenpeace International
West Virginia VS EPA wasn’t the beginning of this discussion on how far the EPA can go to regulate pollution. Starting back in 1970, the Clean Air Act was introduced. This gave EPA authority to put caps on how much greenhouse gasses could be emitted. Later on in 2015, the Obama Administration enacted the Clean Power Plan, which set guidelines for states and their power plant's carbon dioxide emissions. When Trump came in, he replaced the Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, which had much looser guidelines. This led to many lawsuits ending in the blocking of the Clean Energy Rule, leaving Biden with an empty place for pollution guidelines. Biden came in as President in 2020 with a plan for clean energy, revolution, and environmental justice. This plan is supposed to lead to a 100% clean energy economy by 2050. While he can only make laws in the U.S., he doesn't want to stop there. Climate change is a worldwide problem, and Biden plans to work with U.S. allies and continue to put further effort into getting climate change into foreign policy.
The ruling on West Virginia VS EPA won’t lead to a better environment, but it will lead to so many other things. With everything in law being linked together, the dismissal of one power can lead to the crumbling of others. We are not only finding ourselves with a pause in fixing our climate crisis but also with the possibility for other federal regulations to be ripped away. These regulations range from drug pricing to net neutrality. It may seem that if we continue on this downhill slope, that we will never fix this amazing planet that we have turned into a burning ball of fire. But there is some good news as we still have plans for our future and blueprints on what to do. The EPA still has the power to regulate many issues, and there is still hope for congress in the future to allow more control over pollution even though this gridlock won’t let it happen any time soon.
Source: YALE
As we can only wait to see what the future holds, you can also play a role in trying to shift the events that seem to be taking that future away. Signing petitions, going to protests, and spreading awareness will help immensely. Despite how long and draining this process is, the future is in our hands. With time and hard work, we will be able to rebuild and save the only place humankind has been able to call home.
