In 1987, the U.S. passed the Global Climate Protection Act, and in 1990 President Bush’s State Department created the Office of Global Change in order to implement the Act. In the 1990s, this office negotiated the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and enabled the success of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In the 2000s, it set up the groundwork for the 2015 Paris Agreement. In the 2010s among other things, they negotiated the Paris Agreement in the Obama Administration and the Paris Agreement rule book in the first Trump Administration. Following the conclusion of the Paris Agreement, President Obama told the department team “you’ve given future generations a fighting chance.” But with this administration, the Office of Global Change has been abolished, closing the book on a remarkable story of service to people and planet.
The current U.S. administration does not appear to consider the declining environment as a major issue. The entire planet continues to get warmer, causing severe weather damage which will increase and intensify. Earlier this year, coal mines set to shut down were given an exemption to continue mining coal for the power plants. Several new coal mines will also be opening soon. And the recently passed Big Beautiful Bill reduces or eliminates tax incentives for renewable energy.
Climate change is not the only environmental issue of major concern. We also must show concern for the over-consumption of the planet’s natural resources and the increased demand for fresh water. The Global Footprint Network recently determined this year’s Earth Overshoot Day to be July 24, the day we will have consumed all the natural resources that will be generated in 2025.
One way to offset this decline in our natural resources is the circular economy. An example is the reuse of worn-out automobile tires. Instead of landfilling the tires or using them for fuel in an energy production plant, they can be recycled. Tires are now shredded into quarter-sized chips that can be used to aggregate in roadbeds, landfill liners and landscaping products. The shredded tires can be reduced further to make crumb rubber which is an aggregate in asphalt. The resulting product is more durable and resilient to cracking.
Another nice idea for improving our environment is the creation of “smart neighborhoods”. One example is in Aurora, IL where all the new homes will be energy efficient with solar panel roofs, batteries to store the green energy, smart thermostats and energy-efficient appliances. The construction of the homes will also be more energy efficient by using insulating foam blocks for the construction. It is expected to have the energy consumption reduced by 30-40%. This type of construction has been going on around the world, and it will continue to increase as every little bit helps the environment.
A 130-year-old elementary school is installing a novel geothermal heating and cooling system that will keep about 68,000 sq. ft. of building space comfortable in the winter and summer. The dynamic closed loop geothermal system which taps “the superior heat transfer properties of flowing water,” has a much smaller surface footprint than some other geothermal designs, making it ideal for a school. As opposed to typical geothermal systems that depend on the constant temperature of dry-rock, this dynamic closed-loop system uses groundwater to reject and absorb heat. It is not as efficient as a dry-rock system, but the installation cost is considerably less. This system is the first of its kind in the U.S.
While the U.S. government and many corporations are not concerned with the declining environment, fortunately we have companies and people here in the U.S. and around the world that are concerned about the environment and are doing something about it. Will it be enough?