President Biden's Announcement : The Endangered Species Act
- Deepanjali Bisht
- Aug 14, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 12, 2021
Written by : Deepanjali Bisht
Edited by: Karyn Sethi
On January 20, 2021, The Biden administration made an announcement to dissolve the policies put into play under President Donald Trump regarding the Endangered Species Act. The ESA aimed to revive the endangered populations of various species including the Bald eagle, Humpback whale, and the Grizzly bear. Under Trump, agencies had to reduce the services and security they provided to the wildlife protection habitat as the economic costs outweigh the benefits.
An example of the effect of his policies would be the Spotted Owl, which were endangered and needed dire protection. This protection was by no means provided. By ignoring these issues, Trump’s administration ended up wrecking an effective and popular law, which had been well-established for years before his legislation. Environmentalists also claimed that “it violated both the letter and spirit of the law”.
Biden’s administration has connected with the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries service to protect endangered species, both plants and animals, by undoing the changes in the law made by the previous administration. United Nations officials claim that currently there is a decline in overall biodiversity all over the world which acts as a threat to diverse ecosystems and the global economy as well.
“To not only protect and recover America’s imperiled wildlife but to ensure cornerstone laws like the Endangered Species Act are helping us meet 21st century challenges.” said Martha Williams, the principal deputy director at the Fish and Wildlife Service, when asked about the ESA. The agency aims to work with the industry and Native American Tribes.
David Henkin, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, claimed that Biden’s announcement was “excellent news for critically endangered species.” He added, “As long as they do it quickly we can avoid bad on-the-ground consequences.”
“With climate change bearing down on us and no serious doubt remaining about the consequences of inaction, we should take this opportunity to update all federal standards as thoroughly as possible to prevent habitat destruction and biodiversity loss before it’s too late,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.). He urged Biden’s administration to regulate laws regarding the species being endangered due to rising temperatures.
Looking at past trends, the ESA helped keep 99% of protected wildlife from extinction. However, it has come to light that some species - such as the North Atlantic Whale - that are supposed to be protected are still facing the risk of being endangered.
It seems as though officials have taken sides regarding Biden’s announcements. Some claim that preserving wildlife is essential and reviving the ESA properly will certainly help. On the other hand, people believe that creating infrastructures is more important to human systems than wildlife is and that preserving the protected habitats costs too much money from the economy. But is it really worth it to change ecosystems at the expense of millions of other species?
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