Environment

We are responsible to care for the earth so that present and future generations can enjoy the benefits of a healthy environment, including clean air and water and the rich biodiversity that is our heritage. The American Solidarity Party rejects the notion that environmental stewardship requires either diminished workers’ rights or population control. Maintaining our environment will require individuals, businesses, and local communities taking responsibility for their contributions; however, due to the national and global nature of the environment, we see an appropriate role for our federal and state governments in adopting and enforcing evidence-based policies regarding pollution, climate change, and alternative forms of energy.

• We are committed to building an economy using models of production and distribution that are local, responsible, and sustainable. We call for the repeal of subsidies that encourage urban sprawl and discourage local farming and production, and we encourage local media outlets and chambers of commerce to promote buying locally.

• We must all take personal and familial responsibility for stewardship of the environment. We must teach habits of conservation to our children both at home and in our schools, and we must put them into practice ourselves.

• Local governments should consider the health of the environment along with human solidarity when considering business development strategies, housing strategies, and other key decisions. As one example, transportation planning should look for opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint, while enabling the free movement of those unable to afford private vehicles.

• Even in urban settings, there is much we can do to build a healthier environment. We oppose neighborhood policies that incentivize chemical-saturated lawns, or forbid outdoor clotheslines. We oppose the use of street lights so bright that they disrupt natural circadian rhythms or migration patterns.

• We must make every effort to ensure that no home in America lacks access to clean drinking water in the home and fresh foods in the neighborhood.

• Federal and state government subsidies for reckless oil and mineral extraction (such as “fracking”) must be eliminated and replaced with funding for research into renewable sources of energy, such as solar, wind, and nuclear power. At the same time, states need more economic development initiatives, such as job retraining and direct family aid, in those regions adversely affected by the transition to planet-friendly fuels and modes of production.

• Strong regulations are required to conserve our nation’s great natural resources and to protect our land, air, and water from man-made pollution and degradation, including maintaining current laws meant for that purpose. We also insist on the direct accountability of illegal polluters to their victims in the courts.

• The federal government can institute pollution taxes and cap-and-trade systems to incentivize transitioning to renewable and non-polluting production systems. Revenue from pollution taxes should be used to fund carbon sequestration by farms, businesses, and individuals, and returned to the people through a carbon dividend.

• We must do more than protect our current nature preserves; we must also actively rebuild the natural habitats necessary for a healthy environment. Federal government agencies should take all necessary measures to preserve and protect our natural wetlands, which provide an ecologically-healthy form of flood control. More trees should be planted as a natural carbon sink and to combat deforestation and desertification. Natural meadows and wildflowers are also essential for threatened populations of pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

• The federal government should prioritize new distribution technologies for waste, with particular concern for the oceans which are vital to a healthy earth.

• As part of our stewardship of the natural world, we have an obligation to humanely care for animals. We support the strengthening of laws against animal abuse and neglect, including stricter regulation of factory farms and stockyards and the repeal of food disparagement laws and so-called ag-gag laws that prohibit free speech regarding animal agriculture.