The United States has re-elected former president Donald Trump, which could bring extreme changes to the nation’s climate policies. Given his history of dismissing climate science and prioritizing fossil fuels, Trump’s second term may accelerate actions that could inhibit climate progress both domestically and globally. So, what might his presidency mean for climate change and the planet?
Trump’s Climate Change Perspective
Trump has long cast doubt on the idea that Earth is warming primarily due to human-caused emissions. He has criticized wind turbines and electric vehicles, dismissing climate change as a “hoax.” Throughout his campaign, he attacked climate action and science, popularizing phrases like “drill, baby, drill.”
Environmental Actions During His First Term
During his first term, he attempted to strip the funding from the Loan Programs Office, which helps finance projects to cut emissions. He also withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is an international treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global warming. Under his administration, they also rolled back around 100 environmental regulations, weakening limits on planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, cars, and trucks. Protections for over half of the nation’s wetlands were removed, and legal justification for mercury emission restrictions from power plants was withdrawn. The Trump administration also implemented changes that weakened the Endangered Species Act, in which threatened species received default protections similar to endangered species. They changed this so that protections could be removed based on economic considerations, which permitted industries like logging, mining, and construction to encroach on critical habitats and threaten species such as the gray wolf, northern spotted owl, and monarch butterfly. This economic influenced decision making marked a significant shift from the ESA’s science-based focus, undermining conservation efforts for at risk species. Environmental experts argue that these policies and changes stalled progress on emission reduction and set the stage for more severe climate impacts by disregarding scientific recommendations.
Nadja Popovich, Livia Albeck-Ripka, and Kendra Pierre-Louis, New York Times, 2021
More info about the Paris Agreement: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/paris-agreement
His Plans and Their Impact
Trump has made it very clear that boosting fossil-fuel production (oil, natural gas, and coal) is a priority for his second term, focusing on expanding infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and supporting combustion-engine vehicles. The burning of fossil fuels is the primary contributor to climate change because it releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, which traps heat and accelerates global warming.
The Inflation Reduction Act
Trump has expressed intentions to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, like his first term. He also has repeatedly mocked President Biden’s climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, calling it the “green new scam”. The IRA aims to reduce inflation, combat climate change, improve access to affordable healthcare, and create jobs. For climate, it allocates $783 billion to energy and climate action, with measures to improve building efficiency, reduce pollution, and support eco-friendly products. Although Trump no longer outright opposes electric vehicles, he intends to remove the incentives that support EV market growth. This IRA gives a $7,500 tax credit to people who purchase an electric vehicle and gives credits to business owners who use solar and wind farms. While some IRA provisions may remain intact, electric vehicle incentives are likely at risk.
More info on the Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy/inflation-reduction-act-guidebook/#:~:text=The%20Inflation%20Reduction
Drilling in Alaska Refuge
Trump is likely to reinstate oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. During his first term, he finalized plans to open part of this area, which is the largest remaining stretch of wilderness in the United States, to drilling. While the actual oil production would take about a decade, companies could seek permits soon. Before the end of his term, President Biden has moved to limit the drilling in this area.
This drilling could increase carbon emissions and fragment or destroy habitats. The physical drilling releases carbon from the soil into the atmosphere and disrupts habitats, potentially impacting animals like the bowhead whale, which Alaska Native populations rely on for subsistence. Noise and traffic from drilling operations would further disturb the region’s wildlife. This approach also promotes deforestation and fragmentation, which are devastating to biodiversity. Expanding drilling, logging, and other extractive industries has raised concerns for accelerating habitat loss and making ecosystems more vulnerable to climate change.
Environmental Justice and Marginalized Communities
These environmental policies, like increased oil drilling and relaxed pollution regulations, disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Low-income neighborhoods located near refineries or coal plants are at a higher risk for pollution-linked health issues, such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Indigenous populations, specifically in Alaska, could also face severe consequences from the expanded drilling in regions essential to their culture. These policies cause a cycle of vulnerable communities bearing the greater portion of environmental hazards while having limited political power to protect themselves.
More info on Trump’s policies: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-wins-second-term-policies-de3dcf0f173b42602b258042fd7aaafb
Conclusion
With Trump back in office next year, his administration is expected to focus heavily on fossil fuel production and scale back environmental regulations, putting the current progress on emissions reduction at risk. His second term could undermine climate action and lead to increased habitat destruction, and further strain ecosystems that are already vulnerable to climate change impacts. These potential changes could also have long-term effects on both the environment and public health, affecting not only our atmosphere and ecosystems but affect the well-being of communities across the country, underscoring the critical need for climate policies that take long-term sustainability and social equity into account.
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