The Trump Administration Abandons Climate Action, But Crisis Remains

In his first hours back in office, President Trump ordered a series of actions that abandon U.S. climate leadership at home and abroad. He withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, pushed to greatly expand fossil fuel production, and attacked clean energy.

As the nation’s leading environmental law organization, Earthjustice is prepared to hold President Trump and members of Congress accountable for walking away from climate action at this critical moment.

“Whether President Trump likes it or not, he is a climate president, leading during a time when our planet is warming at record speed from burning fossil fuels and extreme weather events are causing deaths, destruction, and bankrupting our communities,” said Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen. “Backtracking on climate leadership will not stop Earthjustice from fighting for the clean energy future we need, even if this administration won’t.”

Where we’ve made climate progress – and how we’ll defend it

• Cleaning up the power sector:  

• • The progress: The power sector makes up a quarter of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to lots of other forms of pollution. In 2024, former President Biden passed a suite of pollution reduction rules for power plants and oil and gas companies. Those included limits on carbon and methane emissions, enforcements for toxic coal ash cleanup, and stricter wastewater standards for coal ash. 
  • How we’ll defend it: In a day one executive order, President Trump ordered agency heads to review any rules that could pose an “undue burden” on fossil fuels. We are prepared to fight for these critical regulations, and we come armed with experience: We sued the last Trump administration when it tried to roll back methane standards for the oil and gas industry, weaken protections from hazardous coal ash pollution, and gut clean car standards.  

• Ambitious climate targets:  

• • The progress: The United States has set bold new targets to cut its greenhouse gas pollution in the next decade. Before leaving office, President Biden made a pledge to cut climate pollution at least 61% by 2035 under the Paris Agreement.
  • How we’ll defend it: Trump signed an executive order to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, as he did in 2016. Just as we did then, we’ll ramp up our work at the state and international level and in public utility commissions to continue to make gains as we defend progress at the federal level. 

• Historic investments in clean energy:  

• • The progress: In 2022, the U.S. passed the largest federal investment in clean energy in the country’s history. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has already created more than 300,000 jobs and helped Americans save billions of dollars on electric vehicles, heat pumps, solar panels, and other energy efficient appliances.
  • How we’ll defend it: A new Trump executive order directs all agencies to pause disbursement of funds appropriated through the IRA. Members of Trump’s transition team have also said they will work with the Republican-controlled Congress to roll back consumer tax credits in the IRA. We will fight for these policies that have unlocked access to healthier, more energy efficient homes and lives.  

The Trump administration’s fossil fuel agenda 

• Distraction: President Trump declared an “energy emergency” as a rationale for expanding oil, gas, and coal production on sensitive public lands, particularly in Alaska. The concept serves to distract from the climate crisis, which is driven by the burning of fossil fuels. It also ignores the fact that the United States is already the number one producer of oil and methane gas. 
• Costly exports: The U.S. is also the world’s leading exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and a day one executive action called for restarting and speeding up reviews of permits for new LNG export terminals. If the administration expands LNG exports, it will drive up home gas and electricity bills for U.S. households, up to $122.54 per year on average by 2050, according to recent Department of Energy research.  
• Enriching oil companies: “The only energy emergency in the U.S. is the failure to transition fast enough to clean energy,” said Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice. “The energy ‘dominance’ agenda is about one thing only: enriching oil and gas companies. It won’t make energy affordable for Americans. It will fuel the terrifying climate disasters that are devastating people’s lives around the country and the world. As Los Angeles burns, the emergency declarations we need are ones that would speed up energy solutions and help people who have lost everything.” 

We can’t afford to abandon climate action

• Climate deadlines cannot wait: As global temperatures rise, extreme and deadly weather events are becoming more common. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene caused historic flooding across the Southeast United States, killing at least 121 people and leaving millions without power. This January, L.A. communities have been devastated by multiple wildfires intensified by climate change.  

• The cost of climate change: These climate disasters come with an enormous cost. Hurricane Helene estimates stand at $60 billion in North Carolina alone, while the L.A. fires ravaging southern California are projected to cost up to $150 billion and rising. Homeowners are seeing insurance premiums jumping 33% from 2020 to 2023 – or having their policies dropped altogether.

• People expect their elected leaders to deliver on the basics of health and safety. The gains made on climate action over the past four years are deeply rooted and popular. No matter what comes, we won’t stop fighting to phase out planet-warming emissions, catalyze a just, equitable clean energy transition, and protect communities from climate disaster.