Over the past week, the Trump administration has indicated doubts about the validity of climate change and, in turn, limited the federal government’s response to it. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright revealed to CNN that the government would now review and revise national climate assessments previously published by the federal government. The announcement came days after his agency produced a report claiming concern that the climate crisis was overblown, according to the Guardian. That departmental report followed an EPA proposal to rescind a 2009 federal study, discovering human-made climate change to be a danger to public health, and creating justification for the federal government to regulate it.  

In his second term, President Donald Trump’s administration has faced challenges in addressing the climate crisis effectively. Following the trend of his 2017-2021 term, Trump’s executive branch has cut down on regulations designed to maintain clean air and water. It has removed significant amounts of environmental and climate data from government websites, and continued to support increased oil and gas drilling – which leads to more harmful methane in the atmosphere. Most importantly, it has moved to dismiss the aforementioned 2009 scientific finding, highlighting how human-caused climate change endangers human health and safety. That landmark finding (known as the “endangerment finding”) served as the basis for the federal government to regulate and limit greenhouse gas emissions from various sectors of American society.  

If that finding were to be repealed, it would take away the federal government’s legal authority to combat climate change. This endangerment finding allowed both the Obama and Biden administrations to push for clean energy and tackle vehicle emissions. Without it, no branch of the U.S government would have justification to prioritize environmental sustainability.  

President Trump’s comments on the environment are well-documented, and his beliefs on climate change seem to leave no room for confusion. In his inauguration speech, he said, “America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have…the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth. And we are going to use it.” In January, the Energy Secretary followed suit by commenting, “The world needs more planet-heating fossil fuels, not less.”  

Those anti-environment sentiments, held by the President and his top energy advisors, have a large impact not just on the American population, but on the world. In the wake of a U.N. ruling that larger nations could incur monetary damages because of their considerable greenhouse emissions, the loosening of American climate regulations could open the door for cases against the United States. The U.S has become the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, according to 2023 data from the World Resources Institute. There is evidence indicating that this superpower has contributed greatly to the destruction of infrastructure and the global health threat faced by smaller, developing nations.  

If the U.S does not take the necessary steps to cut down on its consumption of fossil fuels, it could create further damaging impacts on the world. The emission of greenhouse gases by unregulated American industries could also encourage more open international markets to pollute freely, leading to a rise in global healthcare costs and an increase in food and water shortages already faced by people in certain regions.  

As the International Court of Justice has said, all nations have an obligation under international law to limit climate change. It is the responsibility of global leaders, especially those of larger nations, to work together and invest in solutions that combat the climate crisis. Drastically reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and replacing them with renewable energy resources is the most effective way to handle our common problem. The first crucial step is ensuring that our political leaders recognize the urgency of the climate crisis and take measures to tackle it. Through peaceful advocacy and lobbying, we can demand change. We must urge our global leaders to collaborate, invest in clean energy technologies, and adopt policies to significantly reduce our global greenhouse gas emissions.