Conserving the environment is necessary for economic and ecological sustainability on Earth. The most effect way to accomplish these goals would be through government, which is the most powerful social and economic institution in the world, conservation. Analyzing government conservation through previous legislation can help determine what the government has done well, in terms of conservation, and what the government can do to better conserve the environment. Recently, former President George Bush Sr., a member of the Republican Party, weakened many regulations on land that had previously been protected by the federal government. He also increased fossil fuel use, which is increasingly harmful to the environment. President Clinton, a member of the Democratic Party, protected a significant amount of land, more than any other president, as national monuments. President Clinton also met in Kyoto, Japan to discuss a treaty to decrease emissions and slow climate change. Following Clinton, when George Bush Jr. came into office, he completely withdrew the United States from the Kyoto treaty (Conserving the Environment).
Many of the presidents that come into office every four years are from alternating political parties that have very different views of environmental problems. As a result, many of the actions taken by the government when one party is in power are undone by new presidents that are elected into office next. Though preserving the environment is a scientific issue, it is treated as a political issue and has a cultural and social context. The federal government continues to try to find political answers to environmental problems, however, the answer does not lie in politics, it lies in science. In order for environmental conservation in the United States to be successful, representatives in Congress must work together in a bipartisan effort, free from outside lobbying from oil and coal industries, to inform the American public about its current efforts on conservation, how beneficial it is and will be, and also what the everyday citizen can do to contribute to conservation.
Each year, thousands of bills are sent to the House of Representatives and the Senate and many of them deal with conservation of the environment. Significant legislation in the past few years include the Senate Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act, American Clean Energy & Security Act, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2010. These pieces of legislation cover almost all aspects of government conservation of the environment.
Out of the four pieces of legislation researched, only one, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has gone into effect. The others have failed or are still going through the legislative process because legislators cannot find common ground and reach a decision. There are many different ways to tackle conservation; however, legislators cannot seem to decide on which method would be most effective for the country and its citizens. Along with the non-bipartisanship that is occurring amongst the members of Congress, oil, coal, and other pollution heavy industries are working endlessly to weaken conservation legislation. Conservation cannot be done just through the government however. The research done supports the idea that the government must find ways to rally the citizens of the United States behind the idea of conserving the environment in order for conservation to be effective.
Partisan politics has taken over the United States government. Elected officials are voting along party lines, instead of basing their votes on what is best for the American people and the environment they live in. When the Senate Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act was going through the legislative process, Republican Senators on the committee were unwilling to even sit down and discuss this important plan for less pollution, more jobs and greater security. There was never a chance for any type of compromise because there was no cooperation between the Republicans and their Democratic counterparts. Because the ideologies of these two main parties on environmental conservation are so different, no side is ever willing to compromise on their ideas on greenhouse gas emission reduction, energy related investments, or the most effective type of renewable energy. This, as a result, creates gridlock in the legislative process, with no side willing to budge, and, like with the Senate Clean Energy Jobs & American Power Act, the bill fails to pass.
In a free-enterprise economy, large, private industries have high levels of political power. With the right price, the desires of these industries get pushed to the top of the political agenda of elected representatives. The Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2010 is currently in stuck in the Senate, because polluters such as the oil and coal industries are spending tens of millions of dollars to stand in the way of progress. It appears that some Senators have sided with their special interests. As long as big business is allowed to have as much political power as they already do, allowing them to push their motives and interests onto the public and political agenda, conservation legislation will never be able to successfully move the country towards an environmentally and economically sustainable society.
Environmental campaigns such as “Go Green,” “Greening the Ghetto” and “VegPledge” have been very successful in raising awareness to the current environmental state of the country and what not only the government can do, but what everyday citizens can do to help improve that state. The government needs to launch a nation-wide effort to do the same. Citizens all over the country need to be accurately informed about what efforts such as the Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2010 will do to for them. Americans need to be told over and over how many jobs will be created if this piece of legislation passes through Congress and the United States wisely invests in clean energy efforts afterwards. American citizens need to be informed of the small changes they can make in their life to do their part in conserving the environment and why it is so important to do so. Americans need to get excited about conserving the environment and it’s the government’s responsibility to make sure this happens.
According to Forbes.com, Denmark ranks as the second most energy efficient country, while the United States does not make the list at all. This is due to aggressive efforts, such as high energy taxes, by the Denmark government. By 2012, Denmark plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent (Siegumfeldt), while the United States on the other hand, plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by only 3 percent by that same year. The United States government needs to do better by being more aggressive and getting serious about future environmental legislative efforts. Current efforts by the government to conserve the environment has been unsuccessful, and will continue to be, until the government takes a much more aggressive role in informing the American public and creating opportunities for everyday citizens to contribute to maintaining an environmentally sustainable society.
Works Cited
Benson, Sonia, Ed. Lawrence W. Baker and Sarah Hermsen “Conservation Movement." U*X*L Encyclopedia of U.S. History. Vol. 2. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 377-381. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Sept. 2010.
Conserving the Environment. Detroit: Gale-Thomson, 2006. 120-176. Print.
Macha, Jordan. “Government Conservation.” Email to Keitherra Graham. 11 Oct. 2011.
Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth and K. Lee Lerner.. "Conservation." Environmental Science: In Context. Ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 166-169. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Sept. 2010.
Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth, Ed. and K. Lee Lerner "The Conservation of Natural Resources in the United States." Environmental Issues: Essential Primary Sources. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 28-31. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Sept. 2010.
Siegumfeldt, Nicolai. "Denmark's Kyoto Commitment." Ministry of Climate and Ministry. 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 3 March 2011.
Spiro, Jonathan P. "Conservation." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 366-372. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 1 Sept. 2010.
Zumbrun, Joshua. "The Most Energy-Efficient Countries - Forbes.com." Forbes.com - Business News, Financial News, Stock Market Analysis, Technology & Global Headline News. 07 July 2008. Web. 3 March 2011. <http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/03/energy-efficiency-japan-biz-energy_cx_jz_0707efficiency_countries.html>.
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