When President Donald Trump began his second term as President of the United States in January 2025, he signed a record-breaking number of executive orders, many of which have had major environmental impacts. Trump also officially withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change, for the second time and rolled back drilling restrictions on federal lands and water. This was only the beginning of the Trump Administration’s plan to gut environmental protections.
This year alone, Trump has cut down around 60 trees located on federal land as part of a plan to build a new golf course. Trump also paved over the historic Rose Garden located on the White House grounds. Part of the Rose Garden was paved over and converted into a patio space. While these are relatively small acts, they follow similar concerning patterns from this administration.
In July, the Endangered Species Act was revised regarding the protections given to protected species. The ESA originally had a “blanket rule” under Section 4D which gave automated protections for threatened species. This rule was eliminated by the Trump Administration. Another change within the act was the redefining of “harm.” A new federal rule now redefines “harm” to exclude habitat protection which could weaken protection for species reliant on specific habitats.
Since these changes, there has been a multitude of lawsuits and protests to protect historic lands, stop deforestation and preserve threatened species. Trump has always been a climate change denier, but he is now acting on that ideology, changing laws and removing protections to a concerning degree. Without these protections, it is significantly harder to stop fisheries, hunters and developers from destroying habitats and endangering animals.
The climate is also of concern, especially since Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement. Trump felt that the goals and motivations of the Paris Agreement did not align with those of the U.S. By removing the U.S. from the Agreement, Trump is actively saying that the climate is of no concern to him — despite scientists’ warnings that change must be enacted soon.
Since this departure, Trump has fought against wind-powered energy, which reduces greenhouse emissions. Trump argues that these windmills impact the lives of those living in the surrounding area, yet continues to support the development of data centers across the country. These data centers use tons of water and require huge amounts of data and energy to function, which in the long-run will contribute to climate change.
All of this is scary and concerning, especially as scientists continue to release information regarding global warming and climate change. This October is one of the hottest years on record, and the heat has slowed down the trees’ leaves from changing color and falling.
Educate yourself on environmental protections and ways that you can do your part to reduce your carbon footprint and support climate efforts. It is more important than ever to support climate organizations and vote for changes to be made when you can. We only have one planet, and we need to make sure it is protected, not only for ourselves, but for future generations.