Trump’s nomination of Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency is a threat to the future of the earth.

Pruitt is a critic of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and has attempted to weaken the agency’s actions. According to the Washington Post, the last time the EPA’s leader was this critical, the agency’s budget was cut by 22 percent. Since then, the polarization surrounding the environment  has become more substantial than any other issue.

Republicans will soon have control of the presidency and Congress. It is their responsibility to progress the country’s environmental stewardship. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues threatening humanity, yet the lack of political consensus regarding the issue is dangerous.

The fact Pruitt questions “the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind” is ignorant. But even the next President of the United States called climate change a hoax created by the Chinese and said “nobody really knows” if climate change is real, according to the Washington Post. It’s time to stop believing false information from those who only want to increase their profit from the detrimental processes of the fossil fuel industry.

The Trump administration will only harm the unfinished progress regarding climate change. Trump stated his intent to weaken fossil fuel regulations from the Obama era, increase jobs in the coal industry and raise the United States’ role in the global oil system, according to CNN. His goals encourage hazardous thinking instead of advocating progression and a sustainable future.

According to the Washington Post, the 10 hottest years on record have all occured since 1998, and 2016 is expected to be the hottest year yet. The United States must be a global example in environmental protection.

We must stop living with the mindset that the status quo can’t change. Throughout history, people have doubted the possibility of change — civil rights and women’s suffrage, to name two. An environmentally sound society is no different. There are ways to create an economy focused on sustainability, but the world must first wean away from the easy choice.

People must value the integrity of science and believe in fact-based knowledge. It is the responsibility of students to deal with climate change because this issue affects the very existence of humanity. Pruitt does not fit the bill. 

Regardless of Trump and Pruitt’s beliefs on the environment, social movements drive change. The EPA was the result of public demand, and if Trump and Pruitt won’t address the existence of climate change, it is up to the American people to decide the fate of the environment. The concern and passion among so many fearful people will be the forces that have a positive impact on the future.