The Miss America pageant’s on-stage question portion often sparks conversations regarding both country and world.
This year’s pageant was held this past Sunday, and its winner, Miss North Dakota Cara Mund, was asked her opinion on the Paris Agreement by television personality Maria Menounos.
“195 countries signed the Paris Agreement in which each country sets non-binding goals to reduce man-made climate change,” Menounos noted. “The U.S. is withdrawing from the agreement citing negligible environmental effects and negative economic impact. Good decision? Bad decision? Which is it and why?”
Mund replied that she thought it was an overall bad decision, offering her thoughts on what she believed should have occured with the discussion.
“Once we reject that, we take ourselves out of the negotiation table, and that’s something we need to keep in mind,” Mund said. “There is evidence that climate change exists. Whether we believe it or not, we need to be at that table. I think it is just a bad decision on behalf of the U.S.”
Mund’s answer was well received by the audience and judges, but Lipscomb students had differing opinions on the matter.
“I support what Trump did,” said Andrew Trent, a junior marketing major. “The deal was biased against America and was interfering with some of our jobs.”
Trent explained that he does believe America should be taking steps to care for the environment, but he thinks that these steps should not be coordinated with Europe but instead should be independent efforts.
However, other students agreed with the current Miss America’s stance. Mason Borneman, an aspiring lawyer and lifelong supporter of the Miss America Organization, said he believes that President Trump made an irresponsible decision that ignores science when he chose to leave the Paris Climate Accord.
“It disempowers Americans and hinders their ability to lead the charge in creating solutions to climate change,” Borneman said.
Photo courtesy of the Miss America organization