Donald Trump turned his back on the planet

**Worldwide view of pollution**
Images taken by a new European satellite show the levels and distribution of air pollutants around the world. The European Space Agency released an image showing high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide over Europe, which is mainly caused by vehicle emissions and industrial processes. Other images show high levels of carbon monoxide, commonly produce by fires, in Asia, Africa and South America. Sentinel-5P, launched in October, can map levels of nitrogen dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide and other pollutants that can be hazardous to human health and contribute to global warming.
Photo: European Space Agency

President Donald Trump campaigned in 2016 with a promise to drain the swamp.

Perhaps that metaphor was about more than politics. The first year of his presidency, Trump displayed a particular disdain, not just for swamps, but also for nature writ large. He blithely dispatched with environmental protections and regulations, especially those that inhibit profit making in the fossil-fuel industry.

Planet Earth and its people be damned.

In 2017, the Trump administration:

Moved to roll back clean air and clean water regulations and repeal the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan.
Eased safety standards for oil-carrying trains.
Ordered a review of national monuments, leading to a massive downsizing of at least two protected areas.
Signed orders to jump-start the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects.
Expanded the offshore drilling program in the Gulf of Mexico.
Encouraged drilling in the Arctic Refuge.
Removed references to “climate change” and “global warming” from federal websites.
Reopened a review of vehicle tailpipe standards intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Opened more U.S. Forest Service land to fracking operations.
Muzzled federal scientists in an effort to suppress climate-change research.

Turning his back on the planet

In June, Trump announced his intention to pull the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement — an agreement now signed by every nation.

At the time, a Yale poll found nearly 70 percent of Americans, including a majority in all 50 states, support the U.S. participating in the agreement.

“Generations from now, Americans will look back at Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Agreement as one of the most ignorant and dangerous actions ever taken by any president,” said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune.

In response to Trump’s announcement, a number of mayors and Democratic governors have committed to working to uphold the agreement.

Business leaders, tribal officials and representatives from many advocacy groups also have pledged to support the Paris agreement in the absence of Trump’s leadership.

“The president of the United States is a powerful person, but he can’t stop us from moving forward on clean energy,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. “Action across the public and private sectors puts the United States on track to meet the Paris targets.”