And Now, Some Good News for the Environment

Frederick Reimers finds plenty of reasons for positivity when it comes to the environment. But, first, an acknowledgement of why people might feel "gloomy" about the state of the earth's ecosystem: "The climate continues to change, causing a host of issues, from more catastrophic weather and wildfires to the increased acidification of our oceans. Meanwhile, we have a president actively working to erode hard-won ecological protections."

Those kinds of setbacks provide more than enough reason for environmentalists to stay vigilant, and that they have. Reimers cites a long list of environmental victories, like the passage of the Natural Resources Management Act in February 2019; new public wilderness area created by the Tennessee Wilderness Act, protecting 20,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest, and the Flatside Wilderness Enhancement Act, adding 640 acres to the 9,541-acre Flatside Wilderness near Little Rock; numerous court victories over the environmental rollbacks of the Trump administration (thanks, California!); the ongoing demise of single-use plastics; an increasing number of dam removals; and renewed access to the Potomac River for paddlers, after a U.S. Coast Guard decision blocked the a popular stretch of the river whenever President Trump golfs at the Trump National Golf Club.