New Albany High School
Changing the World by Talking to Those Who Can
The Effectiveness of Writing to Politicians for Environmental Advocacy
Ian Kimbell
English 10 Honors
Mrs. Angela Smith
November 29, 2016
Changing the World by Talking to Those Who Can
The government can be the environment’s greatest ally or its worst enemy. Governing bodies can produce legislation such as the Montreal Protocol, which may be preventing upwards of 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide from reaching the atmosphere every year (Cardone). However, the government also has the power to destroy the environment, such as future president Donald Trump’s plans to severely reduce or even shut down the Environmental Protection Agency (Donald Trump on Environment). So, it seems that laws and policies are the most immediate and effective pathway toward impacting the environment. This conclusion is further supported by the example of the correlation between the spike in major environmental laws in the 1970s (see graph 1) and the boom in environmental consciousness in that period, such as widespread participation in Earth Day and increased support for groups such as the Campaign Against Pollution (Environmental Movement). This means that influencing politicians through direct communication such as letters and emails should theoretically be one of the best ways for an average person to advocate for our planet. But, do elected officials actually read the letters you send them? It
As a kid who has cared about nature his entire life, and an avid modern environmentalist for four years and counting, this issue has been at the center of my psyche for quite some time. I have seen public perspective on this issue change before my eyes. From the original rejection of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth movie on “global warming” to personally marching alongside 300,000 people in our nation's capital to raise awareness on climate change. However, despite all of these avenues the issue is still spoken about as this distant idea that eventually will be a disaster. Many politicians and news networks speak of the need for slow implementation of policies and programs to right our environmental wrongs. The best way to paraphrase the common narrative of this issue would be to say, climate change is going to happen down the road, it will probably be bad and trying to fix it in the near future would be a good idea. That weak call to action shoves climate change onto the long to-do list of the leaders of our world. Not only does it not create the urgency needed to actually curb the effects of our environmental ignorance, but it does not accurately describe the threat of a changing climate. Treating this like a political issue will not allow for the rigorous changes needed to address such a problem in the timely manner that is required.
In government many political leaders love to get peoples votes because the more votes they get the better chance of winning the election they have. So many political leaders sway towards what they believe the people feel they need and want their government to do about certain problems. This then makes for political leaders seem to know what they can do to help the people and get a benefit out of not only being elected but being able to save the environment. Due to this fact political leaders realize that people are all for conservation because they want to save the Earth so they will be able to keep living on this planet. This is why many political leaders have at least one or more conservational benefit that they want to proceed with if they get elected into government. This sometimes doesn’t happen in government though because they may get elected then a big event happens and they have to worry more about the major event then there ideas on how to save the environment. This can be seen by one of the biggest influences in government our current President Barack Obama. In Barack Obama’s first term he placed a law into place that in turn ended up being “one of the most significant conservation milestones in a decade. Chock-full of new protections for pristine and historic places, the measure sets the gold standard for land preservation by designating more than 2 million acres in nine states as wilderness.”(Danowitz 1). Due to this Obama became very popular with all the conservationist organizations and it also boosted his appeal to the people to see that he was
In recent years , there is a colossal upsurge in the number of environmental concerns with climate change being a pivotal one. Although convergent efforts, be it an individual , company or a government, are made to ease this concern. I think government play a vital role in this regard.
Through his research, McCright proves that that there is sizable political divide between liberals/Democrats and conservatives/Republicans on the issue of global warming, which consequently has caused the divide between the public. The constant flow of political messages and media coverage of political debates, especially those concerning climate change, highly contribute to the growing divide between the public. Americans’ political orientations, moderate educational attainment and self-reported understanding are completely consistent with the predictions of the politicians’ hypothesis and information-processing theory. Given the bifurcated flow of conflicting information on climate change from the politicians on both sides of the political spectrum, ideological and partisan camps in the general public receive completely different information on climate change, which reinforces their existing political differences. This provides strong evidence of both ideological and political polarization on climate change beliefs and concern over the past decade. It demonstrates that since political ideologies so heavily influence people’s opinions and
On Thursday’s morning Gina McCarthy gave a lecture for different classes of political sciences. Gina McCarthy was chosen by President Barack Obama in his first year as president as the 13th administrator for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA mission is “to protect public health and the environment”. In other words, its mission is to provide clean air, clean water, safe and healthy land, and stable climate for the people. She believes that, “If you don’t have a good environment you won’t have a good economy”. McCarthy walked her way through being the face for EPA by working all levels of the government and by abrogating for children’s health. She assured us that even though you think you don’t have power everyone has the power to make a change even though it seems insignificant.
The main claim of Pamela Chaseks’s presentation was that through government and industry climate change can be stopped. Chasek discusses several instances when governments united regarding climate change as well as how these governments have impacted climate change, if at all. For example,a successful negotiation was Lima 2014, the United States and China agreed to reduce emissions; however, at the Copenhagen Climate Conference in 2009 developed countries made an agreement that left developing countries out of the loop. This caused smaller states weary of states who hold more power. This displays that government cooperation and communication is needed to successfully execute the issue of climate change. Without concise agreements and negotiations
The biggest allies to the climate change are political appointees, such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and interest group, such as environmentalists, academic professionals, and clean energy industires. While EPA has influence over the decision from the executive branch, most of the allies do not have a direct influence over agenda setting or alternative specification. However, these groups have closer connection to the general public within states and local communities. The problem is that while these interest groups share similar opinions about the need to address the climate change issue, they have different alternative policies that they advocate. The first step is to push up the climate change higher on the agenda, and working together is essential to achieve this goal. The Senator Smith should contact interest groups in each state to find an agreement among different interest group and to create a coalition.
I know today that it takes more than activism to create change. Hailing from a family deeply involved in environmental politics and science, the wellbeing of the environment has always been something I’ve
Since the first industrial revolution, in 1840, we have seen major changes to modern technology, and our way of life has been changed completely. With inventions like the cotton mill, the lightbulb, the car, and so many others, we can be more efficient, and provide new and improved services for ourselves, but there is a negative side to all this development. Many of the systems we have discovered are destroying the planet, and as we continue to ignore this obvious deterioration, it gets exponentially worse. As one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world, the United States has the ability to change this trend of destruction. Individuals can rally and recycle, but we need more power behind the cause, and the President can do that. The United States Constitution gives the President the ability to suggest and pass laws, with the help of the other branches; and it is time that they take a stand, and provide legislation that will lead the country to heal the Earth. The President of the United States has the Constitutional power-- and therefore the obligation-- to promote awareness of climate change and introduce legislation to help protect our planet.
Lust for power is most commonly seen in businessmen or politicians and in today's world money is power. Recently, politician’s desire for power can be seen in the global climate change issue. Many U.S. officials, including our current President, do not believe in global climate change, or are ignoring this large issue because of the immense amount of money they receive from one of the main causes of climate change: fossil fuels. In 2014 oil, gas, and coal companies spent a total of $151,437,335 on Congress’ campaigns (“Funding Fossil Fuels”). The people involved in our government system are letting their lust for money and power cloud their judgement on the future of our planet.
Background Information: In today's polarized world, the environment has become a heated political topic. It becomes more and more evident of the dangerous of climate change and the impact humans have on the environment, yet political actions to combat these issues are non-existent. The establishment politics of today seem to take a laissez-faire approach to combating climate change. Today's politics impact the population greatly, but it is important to see whether those who vote along party lines agree with the party's stance on the environment.
David Orr, a Chair of the Environmental Studies Program, states reason why no one has taken action is climate change is due to “the failure in the Government” because they are run by the fossil fuel industry, which is the highest power on
How can meaningful and revolutionary change be achieved when we keep using the same words to address climate change in the same old ways? The answer lies in study existing forms of communications to uncover how certain messages can be reworked in order to engage the public. The Calgary Herald is the medium that will be studied because Calgary is the largest metropolitan area in the province and it is where the majority of Canada’s oil companies are headquartered. As such, the Herald’s readership is made up of people whose lives revolve around oil and are key players in the public discourse on oil and the environment. In light of this, the Calgary Herald plays a role in supplying the frames, metaphors, and storylines
The current global population of 7.6 billion people is expected to reach 11.2 billion in 2100 (UN DESA), and as the Earth’s population continues to grow exponentially, the topic of environmental sustainability is being debated with increased urgency. In the past few years, many large-scale environmental issues have emerged due to human activities: climate change, air and water pollution, rising sea levels, habitat loss, species extinction, and worsening natural disasters are all becoming more and more prevalent. But perhaps our most immediate concern should be whether or not we will be able to continue feeding this ever-increasing population.
Your day has been great so far. You went on vacation, you found a dollar bill on the floor, you ate your favorite dish, nothing can be better than this. As soon as you walk on the boardwalk you are hoping to see big waves and fish in the sea, instead, you see dead fish and some animals floating in the water next to old car tires, trash, and fertilizer. Now you feel terrible and want to go home. Pollution is devastating. The reason why I researched this topic is that I do not want my family nor my planet to get sick. Pollution can be stopped very easily, it’s just that people “don’t know” how to stop or they just don’t care, which is a serious problem. I want people to see that pollution is mainly caused by humans, and also for them to see that it is a horrible thing that is happening. Some kids litter because they see their parents and their whole family doing it. When I was researching this topic, I noticed that I needed to find out more information, so I asked questions to myself. When did pollution get so bad? How many animals have gone extinct because of pollution? How many people die each year because of pollution? How much does everyone on the planet pollute each year? What is the best way to stop pollution? Can just one person make a difference? After a lot of research, I found out lots of ways that we can stop pollution, so it is possible to end it. Or at least improve the air.