Trump expands fossil fuel agenda while slashing science and renewable energy, potentially setting back green progress by decades
President Trump has declared a national “energy emergency” to justify expanded fossil fuel production and severe cuts to climate science, weather research, and clean energy programs.
In short:
- In his first six months back in office, Trump signed multiple executive orders to boost coal, oil, and gas while gutting green energy tax credits and defunding climate-related science.
- Trump’s administration is shutting down 10 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) labs and plans to reduce the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency workforce by at least 23%.
- Experts and former officials say Trump is dismantling the science infrastructure that supports public health and environmental protections, while rewarding fossil fuel donors.
Key quote:
“Trump’s actions are a patent attempt to roll back decades of environmental progress, not because it makes any sense, economically, but because it does two things that Trump wants.”
— Naomi Oreskes, historian of science at Harvard University
Why this matters:
Climate science, public health, and weather forecasting all depend on the integrity and funding of federal agencies like NOAA, the EPA, and USGS. These agencies monitor pollution, study severe weather, and provide data that protects communities from disasters. Gutting them not only hinders our ability to respond to climate threats but erases decades of progress built by bipartisan investment in science. The government's dismantling of this research capacity jeopardizes early warning systems, undermines health protections, and leaves frontline communities more exposed to flooding, heat waves, and air pollution.
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