Four years, 141 days, 14 hours, 8 minutes, and 30 seconds. On March 2, at the time of writing this article, that is the current Climate Clock countdown time. The Climate Clock refers to the remaining time available for humans to significantly lower their carbon emissions before irreversible damage is caused to the Earth. 

Climate change is one of the most pressing global issues today, and the Trump administration’s dismissal of this scientifically supported concept is damaging for the future of our planet. 

Damaged ecosystems such as national parks can affect the essential resources that all living organisms need to survive like clean air and water. As humans, our well-being and the way our society functions is at risk due to climate change. This risk will continue to grow with each harmful decision President Trump makes. 

On Feb. 14, the Trump administration laid off thousands of Park Service and Forest Service employees which has left many Americans, including myself, fearful of what will happen to our national parks. 

University of Oregon junior and environmental science student Alice Tabor explained the importance of national park employees.

“Even though National Parks look like wilderness, they are still contained and run by humans,” Tabor said. “There is risk involved, for humans specifically, if people are hiking in dangerous conditions. There are a lot of threats and if the national parks are going to be understaffed, then there are going to be a lot less people available to help.”

National park employees help manage our parks and their wildlife. Without these essential personnel, fewer people will be able to visit the parks, and the other staff will have to work harder to manage the land. 

These effects have already occurred in national parks such as Zion, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. Visitors have reported waiting for hours to enter parks since the entry points only have one to two working staff members. 

In addition to long wait times, many visitor’s centers have reduced their hours which will affect the educational distribution about each specific park. 

Following these changes, protesters are appearing at various national parks such as Joshua Tree, the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone to voice their concerns about how these personnel cuts will negatively impact the environment and park conditions. 

For instance, on Feb. 22 protesters in Yosemite flew an American Flag upside down to symbolize their distress. 

Lake Clark National Park workers Eileen and James Kramer were terminated in February by the United States Office of Personnel Management. This couple pursued legal action claiming they were fired under the false pretense that they were underperforming. 

The judge ruled that the Trump administration’s Office of Personnel Management overextended its power; the Kramers’ terminations were not based on job performance. 

UO sophomore and outdoor enthusiast Marco Montemore explained his ideas for why the Trump administration has made job cuts to national park employees.

 ”They’re (the Trump administration) trying to thin staff management and make it seem as though the parks are underused and that the public spaces need to be optimized in terms of their usefulness through new programs of harvesting resources,” Montemore said. “For specificity, certain places in Oregon are going to be opened up to the timber and logging industry.” 

The administration’s decisions, such as the executive order President Trump signed on March 1, will increase timber production. This presidential order directly counters environmental policies to protect certain species and forests in the Pacific Northwest.  

In order to prevent the president’s overreach of power, we the people need to voice our opinions though protesting, lawsuits, petitions and by reaching out to our government representatives. The natural world is at risk now more than ever, and it is our duty as civilians to protect our forests, National Parks, and other ecosystems in the United States.