Trump Wins and This Is How It Will Affect Our Planet

09 Nov Trump Wins and This Is How It Will Affect Our Planet

Posted at 12:33h in Uncategorized by Wander-lust 1 Comment

I was woken up by my boyfriend this morning who whispered in my ear that Trump was winning the USA election. Because I was half asleep, I thought it was a bad dream. But no, it was really happening. My stomach turned and one of the first things that came to my mind was our planet. As some of you may know, I am very passionate about keeping this planet green and sustainability is high on my list. I co-organized the Dutch premiere of Leonardo’s documentary “Before The Flood” and set up Green Up Your Life which focuses on bringing extra attention to Climate Change among the millennials.

Emanuelle (right) and me talking at the Before The Flood premiere

I really felt the world was moving into the right direction, people talked about these issues more than ever and it felt good that 157 countries signed the Paris agreement last year. The new Climate Change Conference is held in Marrakesh as we speak where plans are made concrete in hope that we can lower the earths temperature.

So what will happen now that Trump is becoming President?
Well, he said quite bluntly that Climate Change is a Chinese Hoax. He basically wants to scrap all the major regulations that President Obama painstakingly put in place to reduce US carbon dioxide emissions, including the Clean Power Plan. With Republicans controlling the House and Senate, he can easily do this. Pass a bill and sign it. Done. This is worrying. But one of the most important and therefore dangerous claims he’s made is that Trump has said he wants to pull the United States out of the Paris climate deal. It won’t be so easy to do this in only 4 years (even though this seems like a long time) but he can make it very very difficult for the Paris agreement to keep the United States in the right Climate direction.

So is there anything positive?
Well, we can stand for something. People have proven over decades that by protesting hard enough, movements can be made. We have social media now and although it can be a pain in the ass, we can use it to spread messages that will inspire the young generation to do something about this. Let’s go viral, and let’s fight for our planet. Europe is doing great when it comes to alternative solutions and renewable energy. Look at all the Scandinavian countries, they are leading the way and it’s working. (check the most sustainable countries in the world here) Their economy is only growing because of their innovating behavior and the world should follow. Thank god for companies like Tesla, that make sustainability look cool again.

Let’s hope that Mr. Trump has a heart and will think twice about the things he’s said about this issue. The only comfort I have, is that he’s been so inconsistent during his campaign that we can hopefully take his words with a pinch of salt.

Love,

Elke