It's quite alarming how often Trump's name and face are adorning my articles. But this week, it would be wrong to ignore how I am feeling about recent events lauded by the Trump Administration.
As I am sure you all know, the United States is no longer on board with the Paris Climate Agreement, making us only one of three countries not pledging our commitment to saving the Earth (our peers are Nicaragua and Syria). Now, I don't plan on hiding how pissed off I am about this or how embarrassed I am for our country; I hope the rest of the world knows that the large majority of us did not, do not, want this.
That said, our efforts as individuals matter now more than ever. Honestly, our president can say and do whatever he wants, that's the fact of the matter. But we don't have to align our actions with his. In fact, now is the time to separate ourselves from his flawed beliefs in our everyday actions. We have to band together as the American public to keep to the agenda that is right: the agenda of saving our planet.
We know in our hearts and minds, as individuals, that the Earth needs saving, and fast. Private companies and organizations can still run initiatives to improve the environment. We can take small steps in our daily lives to recycle, take a bike to work, use less paper, etc. Because now, even these small actions are actions of defiance against an administration that doesn't seem to think action is necessary. This fact should empower us even more.
Trump is wrong. We cannot just abandon our allies and our planet like this. Maybe it's ok that the US isn't a leader in global progress on every front, but now we are no longer even a partner in this global progress, no longer a mere supporter, it seems.
But we cannot let the flawed mindset of our president and his informants lead to our downfall. We can make a difference and stand up for what we understand to be right. We, as individuals, can make the differences that Trump seems to brush off as inconvenient to his agenda. What he doesn't understand is that his role as president is to serve his people and his country, not to serve himself and his private beliefs.
Our absence from the Paris Climate Agreement discussions may seem pitiful now, but it should serve as more of an impetus to help the environment in our everyday lives. We can make the difference, and the difference is necessary. We have to let Mother Earth know we are there for her, even if that means we are not there in support of our president. Do not despair. Trump can do and say whatever he wants, but so can we.
