On Donald Trump’s first day in office during his second term as President, he signed over 20 executive orders – more than any other US President to date.
Several of them concerned matters regarding the environment and climate change – such as the reversal of Biden’s order to curb greenhouse gas emissions, protect federal land from oil drilling, and, of course – yet again withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement.
This decision is no surprise – Trump had already withdrawn from the same Agreement during his first term in office in 2017. Joe Biden then re-joined the Agreement during his presidential term in 2021. Yet, the consequences of Trump’s recent decision are arguably more detrimental now than ever before.
The Paris Climate Agreement aims to prevent global temperatures by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels – and Trump’s withdrawal simply proves that this is not America’s priority. The President reflected this by stating that the Agreement “does not reflect [America’s] values or [its] contributions to the pursuit of economic objectives” as he signed the executive order and his audience cheered him on.
The Paris Climate Agreement aims to prevent global temperatures by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels – and Trump’s withdrawal simply proves that this is not America’s priority.
This begs the question – what has Trump actually done for the environment? – And the answer is relatively simple and straightforward: very little. Worldwide protests against Trump’s anti-climate change policy agenda have rapidly started up around the world, such as the most notable one in Germany’s capital of Berlin.
Trump’s approach to climate change is as conservative as his views on other issues, such as women’s rights or immigration policies. He has claimed that during his presidency, he will boost domestic oil and gas production and remove incentives for electric vehicles.
Trump’s approach to climate change is as conservative as his views on other issues, such as women’s rights or immigration policies.
The last point is highly significant in nature, considering Trump’s recent work with Elon Musk, the CEO of the electric car brand Tesla. It feels contradictory in itself that, despite both Musk and Trump being on the right wing of the political scale, Musk prides himself in owning a company that stands for reducing emissions and providing better alternatives to fossil fuels from fuel-operating cars.
Whether this is simply an attempt at a progressive move from Musk to capitalise on positive environmental impacts, or whether the CEO genuinely believes in the message of Tesla, is a debate in and of itself – especially given the recent controversies that Musk was caught in where he saluted an audience in a way that was seen as similar to that of Nazi origins. However, Trump’s approach towards the environment, along with who he chooses to work with in regard to it, continues to refrain from maintaining any consistency.
The US, Iran, Yemen and Libya are currently the only countries to abstain from signing the Agreement. It is, therefore, evident that Trump’s second term in office is a crucial setback for environmental awareness and climate change more broadly. Yet, the damage this will cause to our planet will very likely be irreversible.
