Megan Mayhew-Bergman

Because Trump sows environmental chaos

I’m a multi-issue voter, but what I care most about is protecting the environment and slowing the rate of disastrous change, upheaval, and suffering in front of us. Trump sows environmental chaos, tethers himself to dirty energy sources of the past, espouses denialism, and views the planet’s riches as resources to fuel unregulated profit. In her DNC speech, Kamala Harris framed environmental protection as a “fundamental right.” I believe she understands that climate change is a significant variable in public health, environmental justice, global security, and the global economy. Vice President Harris will likely support the Climate Corps, clean-energy initiatives, net-zero emissions farming, and funding for science-backed initiatives. Trump’s policies would take us back decades in the wrong direction, into a nearly unfathomable environmental nightmare we would all feel.

In an era of compound crises, we do not need a volatile climate exacerbating global conflict, and worsening food insecurity, housing costs, and disease. We need science-informed policy and compassionate action, and we need it immediately. Stabilizing climate change to the best of our ability will create a more compassionate and just society, as well as a more habitable planet with justice for nonhuman species. We are out of margins and need to act accordingly. 

As a parent and professor, I see the existential dread of climate change weighing on my daughters and students. To grow up without hope, to feel as if it is unwise to start a family, to witness global suffering and extinction—how can we watch as younger generations grow up bearing the pressure and sadness of the bleak future we are handing to them? Voting Kamala Harris into office is an important step in improving the outlook and hope for our nation and planet.

Megan Mayhew-Bergman is an author, climate journalist, and professor at Middlebury College.