A Force Of Nature Defending Our Communities and Our Planet From Trump
Donald Trump has been declared the winner of the US presidential election. During Trump’s first term, the Sierra Club played a critical role in defending against his administration’s attacks on climate progress and clean air and water. The Sierra Club legal team filed more than 300 lawsuits against his administration, holding off the worst of his attempts to gut bedrock environmental protections, as well as watch-dogging Trump’s political appointees and bringing to light their ties to polluting industries through FOIA requests and litigation. The Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign also continued to be successful in driving the transition from coal to clean energy in spite of Trump, retiring coal plants at an even faster pace than under the Obama administration.
Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous released the following statement:
“Donald Trump was a disaster for climate progress during his first term, and everything he’s said and done since suggests he’s eager to do even more damage this time. Trump has put profits over people time and again, prioritizing the bottom line of the Big Oil CEOs who bought and paid for his campaign above communities across the country who face the threat of pollution and the devastating impacts of the climate crisis, and seeking to keep us hooked on fossil fuels rather than investing in a clean energy economy. During Trump’s first term, we fought relentlessly to defend against his administration’s attacks on climate progress and clean air and water, and we are ready to fight again. We will challenge Trump’s dangerous proposals in court, keep the pressure on banks and big corporations to clean up their act, and mobilize our 64 chapters and millions of members and volunteers nationwide to continue to make progress at the state and local levels.
This is a dark day, but despite this election result, momentum is on our side. The transition away from dirty fossil fuels to affordable clean energy is already underway. Trump can’t change the reality that an overwhelming majority of Americans want more clean energy, not more fossil fuels. Through investments in the Inflation Reduction Act we are creating millions of new clean energy jobs. Clean energy is already cheaper in most cases than dirty fossil fuels, and wind and solar now generate more power in the US than coal.
When we come together, we are stronger than Donald Trump, and we will not let one climate denier in the White House erase all the progress we have made. Our movement is bigger, bolder, and more diverse than it’s ever been. We will be a force of nature and use every tool at our disposal to defend our democracy and critical environmental protections, and continue to build toward the clean energy economy and future we need.”