Trump's cuts to national monuments are an assault on our humanity – fight them

Reducing Utah's national monuments is not simply about economics, archeology, ecology or grazing. The degradation of our public lands is a degradation of our humanity

Monday, 4 December, in a much anticipated announcement, US President Donald Trump called for the reduction of Bears Ears National Monument by 84%, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 50%. This is just the latest in a series of assaults on cultural heritage under this administration.

In October President Trump announced that the US would pull out of Unesco. It was disheartening, to say the least. This was not an decision that went un-remarked. Many cultural groups and institutions have condemned the attacks, and both the Washington Post and the Guardian have discussed how this move is part of a larger pattern of protectionism and withdrawal from the international community - at a time when, arguably, we need international cooperation more than ever, with 21st century issues such as climate change crossing national borders.