Sierra Club. (February 18, 2020) “Endangered Species Are Casualties of Trump’s Border Wall”

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/endangered-species-are-casualties-trump-s-border-wall Retrieved March 2, 2020

 

Scientists fear that the construction of President Donald Trump’s border wall between the Southwestern States and Mexico could pose a threat to wildlife and cause severe damage to one of the most biodiverse deserts in North America. With the border before the Trump administration, both the native wildlife and rainfall could easily pass through however with Trump’s idea of a wall only very small animals like mice are expected to be able to cross through. The teams of bulldozers that have crossed along the border to clear more space for the wall have destroyed hundreds of native plants. The species that scientists predict will suffer the most are Mexican grey wolves, saguaro cactuses, jaguars, ocelots, peninsular bighorn sheep, and a few aquatic species. Many of the species, like the Mexican grey wolf and the wildcats of the region, have already had issues with endangerment before and only until recently has there been successful efforts to rebuild the population. Because of this, very few of the threatened species can afford to face habitat fragmentation on such a large scale.

 

The article truly calls attention to how little our current president cares about the United States’ environmental impact on the world. After withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, Trump has made minimal efforts to reduce the country’s impact on climate change. Furthermore, the article’s contents connects to how environmental issues have become more of a political debate, specifically in the United States, rather than a uniting issue for our country. While other countries such as Germany have been able to come together on behalf of combating climate change, such issues continue to be polarizing for the U.S.. Trump continues to look past actions that have worked to preserve various endangered species in order to further his policies even if it calls for the extinction of an entire species’ population.