Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
View more of the Sun's opinion section
The Trump administration’s denial of climate change and climate science has taken many forms beyond just the obvious. We know that the repeal of the Clean Power Plan is predicted to result in 90,000 more asthma attacks, 300,000 more missed days of school and work, and 3,600 more premature deaths annually by 2030.
And that the proposed 31 percent cut to the EPA budget is aimed directly at rolling back the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. What we do not often consider is how many endangered species will go extinct under this administration.
Recently, 25 highly imperiled species were denied protection under the Endangered Species Act. These species include the Pacific walrus, losing habitat to due a warmer climate in the Arctic, and the Florida Keys mole skink, losing habitat to rising sea levels.
To list them as endangered would have been an admission that climate change is having a myriad of negative consequences.
The Endangered Species Act was created to protect biodiversity not only for its intrinsic value, but for future discoveries that will benefit mankind. In addition to the animals and plants we eat, 50 percent of medicines currently available derive from natural products. Wildlife specifically disrupted by climate change and other human activities to the point of extinction needs to be protected.
Berg is UNLV Student Sustainability Council president
