The climate crisis is one of the most urgent issues facing the United States and the world as a whole.
Without sweeping reforms in environmental policy soon, the damage done by mankind will be irreversible, setting us on a course that will see our children and grandchildren grow up to see a world that's no longer inhabitable.
Perhaps it's this urgency that led former President Barack Obama to take the rare step of publicly criticizing a decision by his successor, President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration rolled back Obama-era automobile fuel efficiency standards, which were a key component of national efforts to lower pollution. What the Trump administration hailed as a liberating deregulatory move was really environmental recklessness.
Without using his name, Obama called out Trump's dismissal of the global pandemic as well as his apathy for preserving a habitable planet.
Undoing Obama-era policy moves—even if it endangers people—has been a hallmark of Trump's presidency.
He gleefully pulled out of the landmark Paris climate accord. Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has also resulted in heightened tensions with the nation that have almost resulted in all out war.
Some commended Obama for speaking out against the move.
Others slammed Trump's decision to worsen the climate crisis in the middle of a global pandemic.
The stakes in November couldn't be higher. Are you registered to vote?
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram