US President Donald Trump is committed to environmental desecration. That he can act out his malevolence demonstrates the indifference of America’s political establishment to environmental protection.
Laws passed by the legislature can ensure a level of environmental health. The US Congress has not seen fit to provide protection for safe drinking water, breathable air, or reasonable preservation of natural resources. Instead, sketchy laws have been passed which empower the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and enforce environmental regulations. The EPA was established via the executive order of President Richard Nixon in 1970.
The American system of environmental quality regulation is thus subject to the whim of the presidential administration in power. Nixon was the last Republican president to have any concern for environmental quality. Since then, Republican administrations have gutted environmental protections while Democratic administrations have bucked them back up a bit.
Trump has been extreme in every facet of his administration (using the term ‘administration’ loosely in the instance of Trump). Environmental quality has been no exception. Trump would render America uninhabitable if his will could come to fruition.
Spokes 6: The Fruits of Civilization, has extensive global coverage of the environmental desecration by mankind throughout history.
References:
Nadja Popovich et al, “85 environmental rules on the way out under Trump,” The New York Times (12 September 2018).
Lisa Friedman, “E.P.A. to roll back rules to control toxic ash from coal plants,” The New York Times (31 October 2019).
Brady Dennis & Juliet Eilperin, “Trump signs order at the EPA to dismantle environmental protections,” The Washington Post (28 March 2017).