Lauren Crane is a third year Politics and Environmental Science major.
The environment was not a priority for the American electorate as they cast their ballots for the 47th President of the United States. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in September, just 37% of registered voters cited the climate as very important in informing their decision for president. Voters neglected the environment as a deciding factor in this election, entrusting Trump with the fate of the climate crisis. After repealing protections and causing damage to the environment in his first presidency, a second Trump term promises to continue the legacy he started.
In 2016, Trump ran a successful campaign structured around sensationalizing issues for American voters, including climate change, which he described as a “hoax” and a “money-making industry” at a 2015 rally in South Carolina. At other rallies, he vowed to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency and exit the Paris Climate Accords, an international treaty on climate change that the U.S. re-entered under the Biden administration in 2021.
During his first term, the President-elect withdrew from the Paris Agreement, proposed an $880 million cut of the EPA’s budget and according to the New York Times, rolled back 98 environmental regulations governing clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals. In addition to the official acts Trump made as president, he perpetuated a culture of science rejection and climate change denialism that caused 1,600 EPA employees to resign in his first 18 months in office.
Environmental groups, like the League of Conservation Voters, thoroughly tracked the President’s environmental malpractice. But where environmental advocates saw wrongdoing, Trump claimed success as he successfully carried out the climate approach he had promised. An approach his administration self-described as “practical” and “balanced.”
The president-elect’s official policy plans for the next four years, including his climate related strategies, are housed within Trump’s executive plan, Agenda47. Again, Trump intends to exit the Paris Climate Accords and to continue dismantling federal bureaucracy which threatens thousands of public servants who keep essential environmental agencies like the EPA, afloat. Other plans within Agenda47 include increasing oil drilling and fracking by repealing environmental regulations and reducing taxes on America’s oil, gas, and coal companies.
In addition to the President-elect’s official policy plans, he has already made decisions that foreshadow the course of action he’ll take in his upcoming term. Trump’s recent selection for EPA administrator, Rep. Lee Zeldin, proves his stance on the deregulation of environmental protocol. Zeldin has environmentalists, including Sierra Club President Ben Jealous, concerned about the future of the climate due to Zeldin’s lack of environmental experience and his fundamental differences from the agency he is set to manage.
After the nomination, Zeldin wrote on X “It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator. We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.” In this brief statement, Zeldin shows his alignment with Trump’s priorities to support American industry and energy independence while failing to demonstrate a commitment to the environment his agency was created to protect.
One thing is clear, the environment is an afterthought to the Trump Administration, but it was an afterthought for the American electorate as well. We can expect Trump to continue his attack on the environment and the agencies that work to protect it. He said it best in his 2024 victory speech. “I will govern by a simple motto: Promises made, promises kept. We’re going to keep our promises. Nothing will stop me from keeping my word to you, the people.”
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