Seeking To Save The Planet Analysis

Politicians have had a major influence over how the environment is treated; whether it is for the benefit or detriment of the environment. However, environmentalists mostly agree that the environment is in danger. Much of the negative effects have been coming from the fossil fuel industry. However, the essential question is: If fossil fuels are bad for the environment, then why are they not being regulated more strictly? Republicans are to blame for two reasons; one being bad talking environmentalist terms such as “global warming”, and two being their policies that are biased in favor of the fossil fuel industry. Another issue is the way companies are negatively affecting people of lower income, especially those of non-white background. Both claims work hand in

hand due to the of the lack of regulations on the companies that contribute to the processing fossil fuels. Lack of restrictions an any industry will allow them to do anything to obtain profits; while this is good for the industry, people and the environment are not affected very well.
John Broder, a political writer, wrote his essay “Seeking to Save the Planet, With A Thesaurus” in 2009, and in his essay, he explained that people who preach about “global warming” are “shaggy-haired liberals.” (38-40) This is a message that Republicans are giving their followers to negatively influence the people’s opinion on environmentalists, liberals and Democrats.

A greater concern is the list of proposals that Republicans are making in favor of the fossil fuel industry. What is concerning about this, is that these same Republicans are financially backed by major fossil fuel companies. If there is a conflict of interest, politicians are likely to advocate on the behalf of their backers. A great example of this is the Republican senator of Oklahoma, James M Inhofe. Sen. Inhofe is probably most known for his uneducated claim that global warming is a myth because it still snows during winters. However, if one were to look at his campaign contribution list on OpenSecrets.org, one would find the following contributors, Devon Energy, a petroleum producer, and Murray Energy, a coal mining company. In fact, roughly 39.63% of Inhofe’s campaign contributions come from the Oil and Gas Industry.

(OpenSecrets.org)
Robert Bullard, an oceanographer who wrote “Confronting Environmental Racism in the 21st Century” in 2001 to inform the reader of the deliberate exploitation of poverty stricken areas for financial gain. This financial gain however, has led to pollution in these areas, and has affected people in negative ways. This is not just a domestic issue, but rather an international issue created by primarily the fossil fuel industry. With the extraction of fossil fuels, there are bound to be oil spills, earthquakes, and landfills. However, there are very little restrictions on the fossil fuel corporations, which enables them to exploit anything they can to profit. Republicans have not helped with this. A great example of this is the Dakota Access pipeline, which would cut through Native American lands and destroy cultural artifacts and sacred sites. However, Republicans, believe it or not, have been promoting the construction of the pipeline.
In conclusion, the environment is in the hands of every nation’s voters. So far, Republicans have been more interested in protecting corporations than the environment. This in a way less fiscally conservative because with no environment in the future, there will be no corporations to make money. Republicans need to be backed more by new companies that are treating the environment better because there is much more potential growth in those companies. However, Republicans like Sen. James M Inhofe have been more interested in profiting now than profiting even more later.