Why Voting Matters in Environmental Conservation Efforts
You might not care about who is in power because you believe in staying neutral politically. You also think that politics is messy, and you don’t want to chime in. However, if you care about the environment, you must also care about who your leaders are. You can’t allow elected officials to pursue policies and initiatives that will further harm the environment. Realize that voting matters, and you should campaign against terrible leaders.
photo/ Hannah Edgman
Legislators can pass terrible laws
Legislators have the power to create laws that can have a far-reaching impact on the environment. For instance, they can allow natural gas drilling in some locations. They can also allow the hunting of endangered animals. You don’t want these things to happen. By voting these people out, these laws won’t pass. It’s a numbers game in the legislative branch. You will only succeed if you have like-minded legislators representing everyone’s interest.
The younger generation can’t vote
You can teach the children to recycle or pursue steps to protect the environment. You can even teach them the value of copper recycling. However, they can’t vote. They have a voice through adults. Therefore, your vote shouldn’t only reflect your interest. It must also include the interest of the next generation. They expect you to do the right thing. You owe it to your children to have a safe world to live in. We only have a few years left to reverse course and protect what we have. It’s not yet late to do something.
They can inspire people to move in one direction or another
People listen to leaders. If they say something, some people assume it’s true. You want leaders who are responsible for saying the right things. You also want them to be accountable for their actions. If we have leaders who don’t believe in climate change, they can inspire others to believe in the same ideology. It’s not easy convincing people to change their views, and it’s even harder when someone in power agrees with them.
Time is essential
Some leaders can stay in office for three years or more. It might be a short time, but imagine the damage they could do within that time. Worse, they might pass laws that could impact years to come. Repealing these laws could also be challenging. Therefore, even if these leaders are no longer around, we continue suffering from their terrible decisions.
All elected officials need to be accountable
While your focus is on environmental preservation, elected officials should be accountable for all actions. Whether it’s about the economy or foreign policy, you want them to pursue people’s interests. If you don’t organize against terrible leaders, they might think they can keep harming the environment. Expose them for who they are and allow more people to see their true intentions. Eventually, you can vote them out of office.
Voting is the only way to change reality. It’s also the only time when we can level the playing field. So don’t get tired of voting and inspiring others to vote.
