Monterey Bay Aquarium calls Trump’s environmental order backward
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Tuesday to dismantle the Obama administration’s efforts at fighting climate change. But according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, an institution dedicated to conservation, it’s a big step backward.
“The cost of not taking action is too great. We see rising sea levels affecting coastal properties; we see changing climates affecting agriculture worldwide; we see human health risks rising as our climate becomes less stable,” said Kera Panni with Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The Energy Independence order removes regulations on carbon emissions, and orders federal agencies to focus on American energy independence. The president said this will put American’s back to work.
“That is what this is all about: bringing back our jobs, bringing back our dreams, and making America wealthy again,” Mr. Trump said.
But Central Coast experts said California is an example of how conservation efforts can also be good for the economy.
“Our state has been able to both be an economic power house and a leader in climate action. The department of energy recently put out a report showing that job growth in the solar sector is greater than coal, natural gas, and oil combined,” Panni said.
“For the most part, I mean, it’s dirty coal. How much cleaner can coal get?,” said Daren Deaver, visiting from Temecula, CA. “I mean they need to move beyond coal, and they need to move beyond coal and get some cleaner energy.”
Foreign visitors agree. They said the U.S. needs to lead by example.
“The United States is still a leader today. It’s a powerful country, and people look up to it, and I think, you know, they have to set the right policies and the right tone, you know, so other countries who look up to them, they follow in those steps,” said Canadian tourist Cristian Radita.
