Despite being known for its leadership in environmental legislation, a decision to backtrack on a measure aimed at reducing vehicle pollution has been made by the State of California. This decision, taken by Gavin Newsom, has raised great concerns amongst environmental defenders and comes amidst Donald Trump’s return to the presidency.
Don’t say goodbye to air pollution just yet
A proposal that would lead to diesel trucks being phased out and subsequently replaced with cleaner locomotives was withdrawn by the Gavin Newsom’s administration. After the measure was presented to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, many environmentalists have been left perplexed by the state’s decision to axe the effort.
As a result of the current political landscape and industry pressure, the state felt it needed to reconsider its approach. The measure proposed a series of regulations that would ultimately lead to phasing out diesel trucks by 2036 and retiring locomotives older than 23 years by 2030.
What do environmentalists have to say about this decision?
During a time where combatting climate change is of utmost importance if we are to have a future, environmentalists are baffled at the pushback this measure is facing. However, as baffled as they are, this decision does not come as too much of a surprise in the context of Trump’s return to the presidency. During his first term, when various initiatives in California with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emission were placed forward, they were thwarted. As such, his re-election predicts a dire situation for environmentalists once again.
The irony of keeping on the use of diesel trucks in this climate is almost laughable when you consider how much has already been lost to the wildfires in California that began on January 7. With the rate at which climate change and global warming is accelerating, no action is too small — both in terms of combatting the matter and contributing to it. If every one of the eight billion people in the world claims that one person cannot have a real effect on the environment, then we are doomed.
If the state’s administration can actively choose to reject an attempt at creating a more sustainable region whilst literally surrounded by fire, then what hope is left for the people?
What is the future of regulations?
Citing costs and difficulty of implementation, industry has also voiced an opposition of the proposed regulations. They are of the opinion that electric cars are impractical for longer distances, a factor that also influenced California’s decision.
However, this is not to say that the state has abandoned any and all contributions to environmentalism entirely. A proposal that did manage to pass calls for a phase-out of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. The California Air Resources Board, who are responsible for environmental regulation in the state, is also said to be evaluating alternate strategies to combat and lower greenhouse gas emissions. However, specific details regarding these initiatives have not yet been released.
The future state of environmental regulations in California remains a point of concern amidst an array of issues, the most notable being the recent wildfires and the impact of Trump’s administration. With the shaping of the new president’s administration, it appears that this green fight will only become more challenging. Fighting for initiatives seeking to reduce pollution and promote cleaner technologies might become even more difficult than previously thought.
The Air Resources Board has noted that they will continue to evaluate other strategies regarding these issues, so all hope is not lost. However, the path to a truly sustainable future does not appear to be a smoothly paved one and we can only hope that this sense of uncertainty is temporary.