One of the promises of the recently-inaugurated Trump Administration was to prioritize America, championing a shift to strengthen the country’s petroleum production and mining opportunities—even at the expense of measures that would ensure its environmental preservation and structural integrity. The newly-instituted Department of Government Efficiency, is moving quickly to dismantle long-standing legislative protections, and among the victims are national environmental and climate actions meant to protect our environment. These environmental actions had survived plenty of previous government interference and cut funding. What’s so different this time, and what can we expect regarding the future of government-led environmental initiatives?

A Brief History of US Environmental and Climate Agencies

The establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872 inspired the later creation of the National Park Service. Nestled within the Department of the Interior, this federal bureau has been in charge of the maintenance and conservation of national parks, monuments, and reservations. The National Park Service was founded through the Organic Act of 1916 by then-President Woodrow Wilson to “promote… [and] conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein[,] and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." The United States is now home to sixty-three national parks and over four hundred areas designated for protection and preservation.

Predating the Environmental Protection Agency, which was established by President Richard Nixon in 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was the first federal law of its kind, encouraging federal agencies to assess the environmental consequences of their proposed actions before approving them or putting them into practice. Since then, there have been various executive orders and congressional decisions meant to address everything from environmental injustices to the United States’ negative contributions to climate change in order to slow the damage to our planet.

Trump’s Conflicts with Environmental and Climate Policy

Given the sheer volume of current policies and legislative actions being propelled by the Trump Administration, it may be helpful to outline some of the changes the current President is enacting:

• With Trump’s 2024 inauguration came the announcement of the national withdrawal from the Paris Agreement as part of their “Putting America First” agenda, citing the “unfair burden” on American taxpayers and claiming that these “international agreements and initiatives [...] do not reflect our country’s values or our contributions to the pursuit of economic and environmental objectives.”

• By February 2025, President Trump had rescinded dozens of environmental legislative actions as part of his Unleashing American Energy Executive Order. Among them are previous administrations’ initiatives, especially those set in place by former President Biden regarding policies committed to reducing greenhouse emissions.

• “Drill, Baby, Drill” is one of Trump’s favorite catchphrases: the Trump Administration is focused on reforming America as a major petroleum exporter, rolling back legislation meant to reduce carbon emissions or explore alternative fuels in favor of further incentivizing oil and gas drilling. 

• More recently, there have been sudden terminations within the Environmental Protection Agency offices—followed by emails reinstating the positions with no explanations, as per reports by Business Insider and The Chicago Sun. These rescinded layoffs only served to bring more confusion and instability to the agency as it continues to grapple with delegitimization from the current president, who has been vowing to dismantle it since his 2016 run for office.

• Speaking of 2016, Trump has been consistent in his quest to rid the country of environmental injustice initiatives or accountability, continually targeting regulatory bodies that limit the extent of the fossil fuel industry—his approach to national climate and environmental issues is not a new phenomenon, spanning the length of his equally controversial political career.

What We Can Do About It

While it may feel hopeless to see the real-time institutional pandering to carbon-emitting behemoths and oil-drilling tycoons (at the expense of the Earth’s health, no less), it’s so important to advocate for and defend the environment, especially as it’s targeted and underfunded. This is not a complete list of actions you can take by any means, but it could be a place to start:

• Volunteer and Take Action: Involving yourself in community projects, even at a local scale, is so crucial to creating a safer, cleaner environment—think activities like searching for your coastal beach cleanups, removing invasive species, or participating in collective efforts to improve air quality, wildlife habitats, etc. There are many organizations that seek help in achieving their mission toward a better world, so why not be a part of that work and offer your time or expertise to make a positive impact?

• Contribute to Advocacy Efforts: If volunteering is not something you find yourself able to do, there are other ways to contribute to a better environment. You can support organizations that advocate for conservation and climate action (such as the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, and many more) by sharing their updates, making financial contributions, or otherwise supporting their efforts. 

• Support Grassroots Organizations and Activists: You don’t need to relocate to Washington, DC, to make change happen! Supporting local efforts, remote activists, and small organizations seeking change can be just as (if not even more) impactful as donating to a national- or international-level climate change advocacy group. American public health and environmental advocates like Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny (aka Little Miss Flint) and Leah Thomas (aka Green Girl Leah) are among some of the young voices working to contribute to a better quality of life worldwide (Addendum: the International Rescue Committee highlights some climate activists in this article that you can also check out!).

Despite the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle environmental initiatives for a profit, the United States is not exempt from accountability for its role in environmental injustices. Turning a blind eye to the blatant desecration of climate responsibility won’t fix the state of the planet, but will instead only serve the companies and institutions profiteering from environmental decay and the obsolescence of public health practices. Every initiative to improve our planet and our quality of life can begin with us.