One week from now on April 29, it will have been 100 days since the Trump presidency began and most of us are already counting down the 1368 days until his term is over. It’s bad enough that we have a racist, homophobic, transphobic, and xenophobic president, but the guy doesn’t even like the environment either. Since it’s Earth Day let’s talk about all the things President Cheeto has done to show us he’s not a big fan of the environment.
First and foremost, we can’t forget the infamous climate change tweet where he calls global warming a “hoax” created by the Chinese to destroy American manufacturing.
But wait there’s more:
This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2014
We should be focused on clean and beautiful air-not expensive and business closing GLOBAL WARMING-a total hoax!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2013
Surprise, surprise: global warming isn’t actually a bullshit hoax created by the Chinese. There is more than enough evidence to suggest that global warming is real and it’s a human problem. However, since we’re living in a Trump presidency we might as well not know what global warming is or why it’s bad for the environment.
Nevertheless, these tweets aren’t the only evidence of Trump’s disregard for the environment. On his first day of office, the White House page dedicated to climate change just disappeared. As if that wasn’t an already detrimental start, days later, he signed an executive order to resurrect the controversial Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, sparking environmentalists’ worst nightmares.
On February 28, he signed another executive order calling for the repeal of the Waters of the United States rule. This rule keeps U.S. bodies of water safe from mining and contamination. The repeal of this rule could endanger the drinking water of millions of Americans and the habitats and ecosystems in which these bodies of water reside. Although he instructed the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to redirect this rule under the Clean Water Act, there would be an abundance of streams and rivers that would be exempt from the dangers that accompany mining and drilling. Not to mention, earlier that month he signed legislation repealing the Stream Protection rule, passed under the Obama administration protecting U.S. streams and waterways from mining.
In March, he proposed a budget that would put an ax to EPA funds. The EPA budget would lose 30 percent of its funds, going from $8.2 billion to $5.7 billion. This budget would also take a stab at other environmental government programs like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Energy Star. Since then, Trump has signed numerous executive order to dissemble Obama’s previous climate and clean energy plans. These plans hoped to reduce carbon emissions from power plants by 32 percent from the amount that they were in 2005.
Although we could sit here all day and list all the horrible thing Trump has done in regards to the environment, it’s time to face the facts. Flint, Michigan still doesn’t have clean water. Global temperatures are rising each year.
Clean air and water shouldn’t be a legislation gridlock; it should be a basic human right. When Trump neglects the environment, he’s neglecting everyone. He’s neglecting Flint, Michigan. He’s neglecting future generations who have to live in a world where clean air and water will become a privilege, as if it isn’t already.
Today, on Earth Day, thousands of scientists and environmentalists march for science, protesting the very ideals that Trump is trying so hard to instill in Americans. They know what’s at stake and they’re fighting for it. Flint, Michigan can’t wait another four years for his term to be over, and subsequently, neither can the Earth.
