OPINION: A win for Trump is a loss for the climate
Photo via U.S. Department of State from United States/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
Ava Jelepis, a Freshman studying Journalism, argues that Donald Trump’s victory is a massive setback for environmental conservation.
The fight against climate change faces major setbacks because of the presidential election results. President-elect Donald Trump has called climate change a “hoax” and efforts to boost green energy a "scam." Rachel Cleetus, climate and energy policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, says Trump's administration will “take a wrecking ball to climate diplomacy.” Trump’s policies from his first term and his plans for his second term prove that his skepticism of climate change will be detrimental to the planet.
During Trump’s first term, his administration rolled back over 100 environmental rules regarding clean air, water pollution, toxic substances, drilling and wildlife. The way that the Endangered Species Act was implemented changed, weakening protections given to threatened species. Trump replaced Obama’s Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule, weakening regulations on carbon emissions from power plants. Several conservation groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, sued the U.S. Department of Energy after the Trump administration revised the process for setting energy efficiency standards for appliances.
The Paris Agreement is an international treaty that aims to limit global warming by keeping the temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius, even seeking to maintain the temperature increase at 1.5 degrees Celsius. Under Trump's leadership in 2020, the US became the first nation in the world to leave the Paris Agreement, despite the US being the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas polluter. Former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, called it an effort “to drag our country backward.”
During his campaign, President Joe Biden said he would rejoin the agreement if elected. In 2021, only hours after being sworn in, Biden reentered the Paris Agreement, a decision supported by scientists and climate change activists. Unfortunately, the incoming Trump administration is preparing to pull out again from the Paris Agreement, further setting back the climate change fight.
Along with pulling out of the Paris Agreement for the second time, Trump’s next term will bring more upsets for climate change. The Trump administration will disregard President Biden’s four years of restoring and strengthening climate protections. This includes getting America’s gas emissions on track to be cut by about 40 percent lower than 2005 levels by 2030, the year scientists say climate damage will be irreversible. Trump aims to boost America’s fossil fuel industry and has promised to “drill baby drill.” With the presidency and the Congress all republican, there is a high possibility that Trump will stick to his word and undo more of the nation’s climate policies.
Trump also just announced former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as his Environmental Protection Agency pick. Zeldin says that he, along with the Trump administration, “have the opportunity to roll back regulations.” Zeldin is a ridiculous choice to lead the EPA as he has voted against a bill protecting one million acres of federal land and a bill that would provide clean drinking water to people across the country. The League of Conservation Voters found that Zeldin voted against 51 of 53 climate change measures. It makes no sense to have the guy who leads the EPA have clean air and water at the end of his list, but that’s precisely what Trump wants.
Since Trump’s re-election, many people have talked about the Climate Clock on social media platforms such as TikTok. The Climate Clock combines science and art, displaying the time left to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before we see the devastating, irreversible impacts of climate change.
The 80-foot-wide and four-story-tall clock looks over New York’s Union Square, serving as a scary reality of the minimal time we have left. The reason the climate clock has frequently been brought up since Trump’s re-election is due to the time remaining on it. As of Nov.15, the clock sits at four years and 249 days. Since the US will have a president who doesn't believe in climate change for the next four years, it would only leave the next president with less than a year to clean up Trump’s mess, which will likely not be enough time.
With this year on track to be the hottest on record, climate change experts and scientists around the world are increasingly concerned with what Trump’s election means for climate change. Director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, Li Shuo says, “Trump’s win is no doubt bad news for US climate action. It will also have a spillover effect for global climate politics.” Director of Research at the Grantham Institute Joeri Rogelj adds, “Political decisions that disregard evidence…will be harshly course-corrected by the hard physical reality of climate change.” We are in the middle of a climate crisis, yet Trump ignores the warnings and will continue to do so.
One can only hope that Trump reconsiders his views on climate change and listens to these scientists from across the globe for the good of the entire planet. Unfortunately, many see this as very unlikely since Trump sees the rising sea levels as merely “more oceanfront property.” However, the fight to stop devastating climate change must continue to ensure a bright future for the next generations. We don't want to leave them to clean up our mess.
Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.