Ice caps are melting. The sea level is rising. Global temperatures are hotter than ever before. Extreme weather—floods, droughts, tornados, you name it—is occurring with increasing (and alarming) frequency. No, it's not just coincidence—the reasons for these environmental nightmares all point to one common cause: Rapid climate change due to human activity.
However, for President-elect Donald Trump, climate change is simply a hoax perpetuated by the Chinese (or so he tweeted in 2012).
Like many other progressive policies set in place by the current administration, Trump is likely to reverse the measures implemented by President Obama to combat climate change (this seems increasingly probable considering the Republican control of the House and Senate and the numerous GOP legislators who have denied expedited climate change's human causes). However, a report from Politico on Thursday indicates that someone very close to Trump wants to "speak out" against climate change: his daughter, Ivanka Trump.
“We hope [Ivanka Trump] recognizes the economic opportunity to create millions of good-paying American jobs by shifting away from the fossil fuels that are driving climate chaos and toward cleaner, smarter ways to power our future," said Bob Deans, the director of strategic engagement for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "And we hope she grasps the urgency of acting to cut carbon pollution today so our kids don’t inherit climate catastrophe tomorrow"
"As she works to learn more [about climate change], we hope she’ll listen to the experts who grasp the science. And we hope she’ll listen to the voices of Americans struggling to keep the family ranch and farm intact in the face of rising heat and drought; to keep a senior citizen healthy in an urban heat zone; or to keep an asthmatic child in school," Deans added. "And we’d be delighted to set up a top-level briefing to help answer any questions she might have about this growing threat and what each of us can do to help protect future generations.”
Ivanka emerged as a steadying presence within the unpredictable Trump campaign (and now the forthcoming Trump administration), and there's no doubt that she will continue to be a fortifying figure once her father takes office. Already there is talk of her running the blind trust he plans to establish for his business ventures, adopting a ceremonial hostess role as the first "First Daughter," and continuing to act as one of his top aides.
Now, if it sounds like a combination of these endeavors—specifically, the ones where she'll be the head of the blind trust as well as a counsel to the president-elect—might raise some ethical dilemmas, it's because they will.
“It becomes a conflict if she is in a policymaking or advising role,” Katherine Jellison, an expert in first lady studies at Ohio University, told Politico. “If she were able to play White House hostess only, and very much delineate that is her sole role in the White House, then she would be on much safer ground. At any point if people see her sliding onto the policymaking and advising side, there would be charges of conflict of interest.”
Ivanka has already used her role in the Trump openly discuss paid maternity leave and pay equity—it should be noted that she has her own personal conflicts with these issues—and sources close to her say that her dedication to speaking on climate change is in keeping with her more progressively-minded advocacy efforts. In fact, the same source told Politico that her intention to "speak out" for climate change is "totally consistent with what she’s developed with her brand. She is playing a critical role in being able to have issues that moderate and liberal women care about—and creating a bridge to the other side.”
But what does that actually mean for the environment? Will she play any part in advancing President Obama's agenda to reverse climate change? And how will she manage to do that without interfering with her role leading her father's blind trust? Or will this simply be an effort to publicly establish a progressive-leaning reputation in effort to bolster her own fashion brand and ultimately boost sales (remember, she did tweet out a link to promote a $10,800 bracelet from her fashion line immediately after her 60 Minutes interview last month and, despite separating her personal and professional twitter accounts, she continues to retweet her own products).
For the sake of the planet, let's hope it's not the latter.
