By: Abigail Zonarich<\/p>\n
Noted to be the \u201cmost anti-nature president in U.S. history,\u201d[1]<\/a> former president Donald Trump operated his final days in the Oval Office with vengeance against the American environment; aiming to diminish and eliminate strong protections against notoriously harmful, anti-environmental practices, Donald Trump continued to work solely for the advancement of corporate development until his final hour.<\/p>\n Such practice does not come as a surprise to anyone.\u00a0 During his four years as president, Donald Trump and his political cohorts \u201crolled back more than 100 environmental rules,\u201d of which concern, inter alia<\/em>, air pollution and emissions, drilling and extraction, infrastructure and planning, animals, water pollution, and toxic substances and safety.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 However, since losing the election in November, Trump has done more for his environmental setbacks in two months than in four years.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Severe dissections to the Endangered Species Act, \u201cexpedited approvals to lease more than 550,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for energy development,\u201d green light go-ahead to motorway infrastructure in a wildlife reserve, and the weakening of high standards for energy efficiency have been few of many actions taken prior to Trump\u2019s January 20, 2020 leave.[4]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Notably, the Trump Administration justified environmental harm with security and expansion of mining, fracking, and drilling-based jobs.\u00a0\u00a0 However, nothing new shall stay if the Biden Administration has anything to say about it.\u00a0 President Biden believes such \u2018competing interests\u2019 can work in tandem with the guidance of science and technology.\u00a0 It is, therefore, President Biden\u2019s overarching environmental goal \u201cto prioritize both environmental justice and the creation of the well-paying union jobs necessary to deliver on the [undermentioned goals].\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n As the executive branch begins to say \u201cout with the old, in with the new,\u201d change has already commenced.\u00a0 Within mere hours of his swearing in, President Biden signed two notable Executive Orders: an \u201cAcceptance on Behalf of the United States of America\u201d[6]<\/a> to re-enter into the Paris Climate Agreement, and an \u201cExecutive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.\u201d[7]<\/a>\u00a0 Within the latter Order, it is mandated that all executive departments and agencies review, with the highest scrutiny, all of the Trump Administration\u2019s environmental setbacks and \u201cimmediately commence work\u201d to combat the damage exasperated by the previous administration\u2019s orders.[8]<\/a>\u00a0 All current and future action, President Biden undersigned, shall work to achieve ultimate goals, among others listed, \u201cto improve public health and protect our environment; . . . to bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change . . .\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n Unfortunately, only after years and the changing of various presidential administrations will we see significant change to the ongoing climate crisis.\u00a0 The Biden Administration, contrary to the Trump Administration\u2019s practices, will follow heavily in the footsteps of scientific and analytical pursuits and expertise and bring the United States up to par with the rest of the world.\u00a0 Scientific expertise shall assist in changing the course of legal precedent, but not without its challenges.\u00a0 Reward shall only come with immense legal impact, something that presidential-appointees of executive agencies, governmental attorneys, legislative members, and President Biden must all carry out to the highest practicum.\u00a0 If the first day of the Biden Administration is any proof, change will come swiftly and without hesitation to equally benefit all American citizens.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Juliet Eilperin and Dino Grandoni, In Trump\u2019s last days, a spree of environmental rollbacks<\/em>, The Washington Post (January 15, 2021 at 8:47 pm), https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/climate-environment\/2021\/01\/15\/trump-environmental-rollbacks\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Nadja Popovich, Livia Albeck-Ripka, and Kendra Pierre-Louis, The Trump Admission Rolled Back More Than 100 Environmental Rules. Here\u2019s the Full List, The New York Times (updated January 20, 2021), https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2020\/climate\/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Juliet Eilperin and Dino Grandoni, In Trump\u2019s last days, a spree of environmental rollbacks<\/em>, The Washington Post (January 15, 2021 at 8:47 pm), https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/climate-environment\/2021\/01\/15\/trump-environmental-rollbacks\/<\/a>; Earthjustice Editors, We\u2019re Defending Endangered Species from the Trump Administration\u2019s Last-Minute Attacks, Earthjustice (January 4, 2021), https:\/\/earthjustice.org\/brief\/2021\/were-challenging-the-trump-administrations-last-minute-attacks-on-endangered-species<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Id<\/em>.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Press Release, The White House, Paris Climate Agreement (January 20, 2021).<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Id<\/em>.; Exec. Order No. 13990, 86 FR \u00a7 7037 (signed January 20, 2021).<\/p>\n