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There's Only One Candidate on the Ballot if You Truly Care about the Outdoors

Spoiler alert, it's not the guy who thinks that the Chinese invented global warming.

By: Kyle Frost + Save to a List

The Outbound is a community of people contributing stories, and individual articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Outbound.

In a battle of scientific and environmental policies, there's no contest here. The candidates are worlds apart. And as a member of the outdoor community, where many of my friends companies and livelihoods revolve around conservation, protection and good stewardship, I think it's important to make this distinction. The two candidates offer starkly different futures for America's public lands, energy consumption, and environmental protections.

Trump

Let's try and get past the fact that he believes the Chinese invented global warming as a hoax to disrupt our economy and delve into some other issues. He has continually expressed his disbelief of anthropogenic (human affected) climate change, once citing the "freezing weather" in Los Angeles as evidence that it is not occurring. He commented recently at an event in North Dakota that he would "cancel the Paris Climate Agreement", which stands out as a clear rejection of accepted climate science as well as international opinions about the validity and pressing nature of the matter.


The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012

Whether he truly believes this or is simply pandering to the Republican base is another question. In 2009 he signed an ad in Vanity Fair with other business leaders supporting Obama's work to combat climate change. Regardless, it seems that he plans to remain in lockstep with the Republican platform on this issue.

In step with the Republican platform, Trump is generally anti-regulatory. This includes cutting funding to the EPA, which he calls "a disgrace". This stance extends to his support of coal, fracking and other fossil-fuel based industries.

Clinton

Clinton is by no means perfect when it comes to environmental policy. She has received criticism from environmentalists for her past support of fracking, although she has since developed a 3-part test for fracking regulation that could significantly curb the practice. Additionally, she did not go against the Keystone pipeline until well after it had become an overwhelmingly disapproved among the Democratic party.

However, there is an extreme contrast between Clinton and Trump when it comes to climate change, regulatory agencies, and energy. Her platform details plans to dramatically increase solar energy, decrease oil consumption, and promote conservation and stewardship. She plans to move forward with much of the environmental policy that Obama has championed, including the Clean Power Plan, Paris Climate Agreement, and the use of the EPA and other regulatory agencies to further environmental goals.

At the end of the day, the difference is night and day. If you care about the outdoors, the environment, our National Parks, and other public lands, vote for Hillary this November. On one hand you have a candidate who delves into conspiracy theories and favors de-regulation so our public lands can be subject to greater exploitation. On the other, a candidate with ambitious renewable energy goals and a commitment to actually addressing one of the biggest problems we face today, climate change.

For those of you that are more visually inclined, here's a handy infographic that's easy to share.

We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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