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Running Head: ENVIRONMETAL PROTECTION AGENCY 1

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 2

Environmental protection agency

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The environmental protection agency

The environmental protection policy (EPA) is an organization that works towards protecting human health and the environment. The agency is committed to offering a roadmap and commitment to address the president’s directions given in the climate action plan. The brochure focuses on how the agency has participated in educating people about climate change and the policies they have in place to protect the environment.

Climate change EPA policy

EPA has empowered its employees by increasing their awareness of how climate change will impact their ability to execute effective programs and offering them information and tools to include climate adaptation in their work. EPA has additionally taken action on climate change and improved the air quality. Climate change has dramatically affected the air quality in various ways. For instance, when there are higher air temperatures, there will be increased wildfires, and the change in atmospheric transportation patterns will result in an increase in tropospheric ozone levels, which destroys indoor air quality. EPA has also been in the front line in protecting America’s waters. When there are frequent hurricanes, increased water temperatures, and rising sea levels, water quality is adversely affected. This affects the availability and quality of drinking water, wetlands, oceans, and aquatic ecosystems. EPA has tirelessly worked in protecting the water from such effects and ensuring that Americans access clean and quality drinking water. EPA also cleans up communities and improves sustainable development. EPA is involved in waste management in all households and also manages debris in their jurisdictions. This has been their major achievement in ensuring a clean environment and controlling waste. The agency also ensures the safety of chemicals and prevents pollution. EPA regulates and offers directions on how chemicals such as pesticides are used in order to prevent air pollution and poisoning. The climate change policy of EPA has rapidly evolved over the last years and has developed at the state and federal levels (Craik et al., 2013).

EPA has also been collecting emissions data all over America. It has organized several types of greenhouse emissions data. The data has helped the agency to monitor greenhouse gas emissions trends and point out opportunities available to reduce emissions and increase efficiency. The agency has reduced greenhouse gas emissions and promoted an economy of clean energy via effective partnerships and some common-sense regulatory initiatives. EPA has also evaluated policy options, benefits, and costs. It has achieved this by carrying out an economy-wide analysis in order to understand the economic effects and effectiveness of the suggested climate policies. The agency has additionally advanced the science of climate change. It has taken part in world-class climate research through various programs in order to get a better understanding of the environmental and health impacts of climate change and to offer effective solutions in reducing the effects of climate change. EPA has partnered internationally where it has taken part in various international activities in regards advance climate change science, monitoring the environment, and encouraging activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here, the agency offers leadership, technical expertise in supporting the activities. This will help in identifying new ways to improve climate change in America, which will improve human health and the environment. The agency has also helped communities adapt to climate change. The agency offers some programs to communities, which makes them aware of climate changes and helps them prepare for that. EPA also measures and evaluates the performance of the policy adopted to help in climate change. It considers its actions for climate change adaptation continuously for them to be able to maintain progress towards including climate adaptation into the programs, operations, and policies of the agency. The agency also ensures that all their programs and regional offices create an implementation plan that offers further details on how the agency will implement the priorities and execute the work they are called to do in their comprehensive plan (Stephenson, 2010).

EPA’s approach to educating the public

Education is important in facilitating people to understand and address the effects of climate change and in encouraging changes in attitudes and behaviors required to help them mitigate the causes of climate change. It also helps them adopt sustainable lifestyles and have skills in supporting various ways of dealing with climate change. EPA views environmental education as a process that allows people to explore ecological problems, take part in problem-solving and take action to improve the environment. Due to this education, people acquire a more profound comprehension of environmental issues and gain skills to make sound decisions. Their public education includes factors such as awareness and sensitivity to environmental challenges and the environment itself. It also includes knowledge and comprehension of the environment and environmental variations. The education also includes attitudes of caring for the environment and the motivation to maintain the quality of the environment. It also offers skills that help in identifying and enabling one to solve environmental challenges. Lastly, there is participation in activities resulting in solving environmental challenges. The agency’s environmental education does not advocate for a particular point or action. Still, rather it teaches people how to evaluate various sides of a problem via critical thinking and improves their problem-solving and decision-making skills. The agency is expected to offer national leadership in increasing environmental literacy. Their environmental education is not only information about the environment. They have a unique approach in educating the public where they not only offer facts concerning environmental problems. EPA has created a coloring and storybook for kids in pre-school which teaches them on different ways of protecting the environment. EPA has a page that contains information of how indoor air quality in schools can be improved at an affordable cost. Additionally, EPA has booklets that teaches people on noise pollution and how they can identify the loud sounds and ways through which they can protect their ears. EPA has also created a virtual community referred to as RadTown USA whose responsibility is to educate students on the sources of radiation in their everyday lives (the United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, 2007).

EPA’s response to climate science research findings

EPA offers responses to the research findings regarding the climate. There were some scientific findings that suggested that contemporary science does not support the fact that there is an endangerment with respect to human health and air quality. The agency strongly disagreed with this finding based on scientific proof that air pollution significantly endangers public health and welfare. Other findings explain that some benefits arise from an increased level of carbon dioxide. They argue that a decrease in the level of carbon dioxide may lead to a threat to the food supply and possible loss of agricultural products. This may lead to food shortages and increased starvation in the world. EPA has supported this finding and agreed with the scientists. They have acknowledged that adverse impacts of climate change may affect food production and agriculture. They have also explained the importance of carbon dioxide in producing fertilizers. Some finding further argues that increased minor greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide may lead to some warming effects leading to a warmer world that would be more favorable to humans. EPA disagrees with this due to the fact that an increase in greenhouse gases does not affect temperatures (Stephenson, 2010).

Are EPA’s approaches sufficient for the American’s future?

EPA’s approaches to climate change are not entirely sufficient in preparing Americans’ for the future. The agency has strived hard to improve the environment through various approaches such as partnerships and the education of staff. However, this is not sufficient in preparing people for the future because the climate is likely to have changed entirely. They should adapt to other approaches that will make people aware of what the future will look like and how they will adapt. EPA should encourage Americans to use scarce water resources efficiently. They should also advise the government to build flood defenses and raise the levels of dykes because of the rising water levels, which may continue increasing. The agency should also put strict policies such as moving to environmentally friendly options like transferring from fossil fuel to more sustainable energy sources. The agency can additionally encourage the use of renewable energy in powering homes. They should also encourage investment in appliances that are energy-efficient. This includes vehicles that emit dangerous gases into the air. It also applies to electrical appliances. When buying these appliances, people should check out for the energy star. People should also be encouraged to use better lighting bulbs. Generally, LED bulbs utilize approximately eighty percent less energy, which helps in saving energy. If EPA would implement some of these things, people would be ready for the future and would even improve the climate (Craik et al., 2013).

Conclusion

EPA has various publications on all environmental issues that one can order or download. The agency has strived to educate people on environmental changes and how they can adopt to the future climate. This is very helpful in preparing American on the climatic changes in the future and also helps them take part in improving the environment. The agency has been proactive in offering reading materials which educating people on all aspects of the environment.

References

Craik, N., Studer, I., & VanNijnatten, D. (2013). Climate change policy in North America: Designing integration in a regional system. University of Toronto Press.

Stephenson, J. B. (2010). Climate change adaptation: Information on selected federal efforts to adapt to a changing climate. DIANE Publishing.

The United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. (2007). The Environmental Protection Agency’s grants management 2003-2006: Progress and challenge: Hearing before the subcommittee on water resources and environment of the committee on transportation and infrastructure, House of Representatives, one hundred ninth Congress, second session, May 18, 2006.