The US Government is Failing our Children on Climate Action. This is a Fact
There is an indigenous-American saying: “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Unfortunately, the Earth we have on loan (from our children) is not well. The safety and security of our children’s Earth is being held hostage by the inaction on display from our elected officials in Washington.
The Department of Defense has called climate change a threat to our national security. Yet, the perpetual state of gridlock and obstructionism on display in Washington does little to ease this threat. There is a general concern among climate scientists that Earth may not be able to provide enough food, drinkable water, and livable places for the nearly 11 billion people expected on Earth at the end of this century when there will be more severe droughts, floods, storms, wildfires, and loss of soil, making food security a concept of the past.
There are 52 senators who right now refuse to pass legislation designed to make a livable future more likely. For the record, there are also 139 congressmen and women who deny climate science as well. The refusal to act on climate mitigation tells our children — that their lives don’t matter, that their Earth doesn’t matter. By not doing anything, those in charge are telling our children that they just don’t care ENOUGH..
HERE ARE SOME FACTS:
A number of elected officials have ties to Big Coal, Big Oil, the Plastics industry, and the Agriculture industry. Combined, these industries produce 87 percent of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions and are associated with a wide array of chronic diseases.
Certain cancers are more prevalent in populations of those who live in proximity to noxious and hazardous industrial or agricultural complexes that spew pollutants into the air, the water, and the environment.
Meanwhile, certain chronic diseases — such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes — occur more often in populations that consume greater amounts of meat, dairy, and ultra-processed foods.
It is worth noting (and was one of the inspirations for this piece), that the foods served as part of the National School Lunch Program are higher in salt, sugar, processed foods, meat, and dairy than is recommended for optimal health. More than 21 million children each year receive free or reduced-price meals. This lifeline provides the majority of their calories and protein each week. However, how healthy is it when a second grader receives nearly 1,000mg of sodium for lunch, which is nearly half the upper limit of sodium that is recommended for adults?
The makeup of these meals is no accident. In the United States, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) heavily subsidizes dairy, certain meats and grains; and too many politicians have ties to these industries.
We have seen this before. When government officials are beholden to industry groups, they will not vote against them as that would be political suicide; and when you have power and influence, you do not give them up willingly. There is a revolving door in politics. Oil executives lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and dairy industry executives lead the USDA. Talk about a conflict of interest.
We must do better. We must hold every person in Congress and in the Senate who did not vote for climate action accountable for their vote, for they are denying a safe, healthy, and secure future on Earth for our children.
For every day these 52 senators (and 139 congressmen and women) hold the environment hostage, for every day there is NO climate action, the Earth tips closer to the point where it very well may not support our children’s future needs.
We already see signs of food and environmental crisis as hundreds of thousands of people flee their homes in mass migrations, both along our southern border and across the globe.
We who live in the United States are not immune to these risks; let our current supply chain crisis be a reminder. We cannot buy our way out of a global catastrophe; nor will we be able to as evidenced by the fact that too many of our politicians refuse to buy us time — now — to avoid the worst effects of climate change that are coming.
Our children’s security and future on this planet is not guaranteed. Our children’s lives matter and I believe it is time for a “pro-environment, pro-children” movement, so that they may also experience life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, in a healthy and safe world.
Children do not have a voice in policymaking. They depend on the adults in the room to protect their interests, their health, their home, and their planet; yet, the adults in the room are NOT doing that. They collectively are letting our children down and are instead protecting their own self-interests, money, power, and connections. I don’t see how they look themselves in the mirror each day and justify their inaction.
So, when I say the United States Government is failing our children on climate action, I genuinely mean it. I look at my son, and I truly worry about his future on Earth.
For more information and ideas: Recipe For Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life
Twitter: @danaellishunnes
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Publicist: megan@meganbeatie.com
Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes, Assistant professor of public health and dietitian in Los Angeles, and author of Recipe For Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life. Cambridge University Press.
