Fracking wastewater pollution. Source: ex–planet.com.
In November 2020, Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, was denied re-election, losing to former Vice President Joe Biden. However, despite spending only one term in office, Trump caused major setbacks in the world’s fight against climate change with the many policies established under his command. Per the New York Times, Trump issued 112 rollbacks to climate regulations during his tenure in office, 98 of which had already been completed by the time he left office. Although Joe Biden has stated that he plans to fight against the dangers of climate change, as symbolized by his swift decision to rejoin the Paris Agreement, Trump caused much destruction that will be difficult to reverse, most notably in the areas of air pollution and emissions, drilling, and wildlife conservation.
The 112 total environmental regulation rollbacks that Trump instituted target the following seven domains, in order from highest to lowest number of rollbacks in that area: air pollution and emissions, drilling and extraction, infrastructure and planning, animal conservation, water pollution, toxic substances and safety, and other. A whopping 30 rollbacks impacted air pollution and emissions, with none more controversial than the decision to back out of the Paris Agreement, a pact signed by 195 countries in an effort to limit carbon emissions in the near future. Additionally, among other costly decisions, Trump canceled a requirement for oil companies to report on their methane emissions. Within the drilling and extraction category, the most notorious decision was to approve the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which severely impacted nearby sacred indigenous lands. In regards to infrastructure, Trump’s most significant decision was to weaken the crucial National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which worked to “promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man.” Animal safety also decreased during the Trump Administration, with multiple regulations being lifted, allowing increased animal hunting and creating a more dangerous environment for all types of animals, from birds to bears.
Despite the Trump Administration’s disastrous environmental decisions, all hope is not lost. A second Trump term would have been devastating to the safety of the Earth, but President Biden has already announced many plans to protect our climate since taking office. For instance, he has issued an executive order temporarily halting oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, vowed to conserve at least 30% of federal land and oceans by 2030, and directed federal agencies to review more than 100 Trump era environmental policies. As fortunate as it is that he seems committed to protecting the future of our planet, Biden has a lot of work to do in the wake of Trump’s climate change denial and overall failure with environmental policy.
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