During his four-year-long presidency, Trump made it clear that environmental policy was not his friend. His time in the Oval Office consisted of 112 rollbacks, rigorously rewriting laws and putting environmental health on the backburner for future generations to deal with. From rolling back regulation of car emissions to removing protections from more than half the nation’s wetlands, he reversed policies that were passed during the last century, many of which came from the Obama era. The Interior Department paralleled his efforts as they loosened restrictions on wildlife protections. As an example of this, The Endangered Species Act provided a backbone for wildlife protection, and as a country, we have avoided the extinction of 99 percent of the species listed on it. Though in 2019, the Trump Administration finalized the Endangered Species Act rollback on account of the oil and gas lobbying that continues to plague our democracy and environmental laws. There is a significant history of politicians working alongside anti-environmentalist companies and taking contributions in return. Self-interest still sits deep within Washington. So, the burning question is, will Biden be true to his word and follow up on his environmental promises? Or will he also add to the destructive regime of personal opportunism?
Shortly after winning the 2020 election and taking office, President Joe Biden reentered the Paris Climate Agreement, nearly 4 years after Donald Trump ordered America’s withdrawal. The Paris Agreement acts as an international treaty with the main goal of keeping global temperature increases lower than an average 2 degrees Celsius. The United States’ returning to the accord gave a sense of relief to activists and environmentalists who had been disappointed in America’s efforts to combat climate change. Although rejoining is thought to be the “bare minimum” by many, environmental groups applauded the move, as this decree serves as fundamental for any necessary environmental change in the White House.
Arctic drilling has been a heated topic between Native Amercians, environmentalists, oil companies, and political action groups. The state of Alaska has massive stores of oil and gas, and for years the U.S. has taken advantage despite the drastic environmental effects. Caribou herds, polar bears, grizzly bears, muskox, dall sheep, wolves, wolverines, snow geese, and peregrine falcons are all species that have been threatened by corporations and governments hungry for fossil fuels, including the Trump Administration. As one of his first moves as President, Biden ordered “a temporary moratorium on all activities of the Federal Government relating to the implementation of the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program”. Indigenous groups and environmentalists saw this is a big win. However, they acknowledge the fact that this ruling should not be just temporary and would ideally be permanent. With the fossil fuel industry now merely a ghost at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, conservationists hope to make real progress in preserving and restoring the refuge. Climate change and the melting of glaciers are already a key reason why species are threatened in the Arctic Circle, though it is likely that decreased habitat destruction will push these taxa in the right direction. The 200 species that inhabit America’s Arctic will be further protected by the government, and the herds of caribou that roam 3,000 miles annually will not have to worry about mighty drill rigs plaguing the horizon.
One of the first concrete promises Biden has made to pledge conservation efforts is the “30 by 30” target, aiming to protect 30 percent of U.S. land and coastal seas by 2030. According to the U.S. Geological Survey Reports, only 12% of America’s land is currently protected. This is an ambitious agenda, though is necessary to implement in order to safe-keep the hundreds of thousands of plants and animals that occupy the country.
We should not lower our expectations and solely congratulate President Biden for undoing Trump’s deeds. In order for there to be subsequent change in environmental policy, we must be diligent in our activist requests and keep the bar high. Many of the international frameworks for climate change law fall short. Governments all around the world are testing the limits of aging practices, squeezing out years that we do not have in order to avoid structural change.
Biden is no exception. His administration holds many of the same officials as Obama, and while the 44th President passed laws to protect wildlife and limit pollution, he also prioritized domestic oil production. Joe Biden claims to embrace the ideas of the Green New Deal but only time will tell if he stays consistent with his plans. Although some of his ventures so far have positively impacted our lands, he has yet to bring something new and tangible to the table.