This afternoon, Donald Trump signed an executive order to start abolishing several key Obama-era actions tackling the climate crisis and protecting clean air and water. Perhaps said best in a statement by Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, “Donald Trump’s executive order would let dirty power plants spew unlimited pollution into our air while ignoring the climate crisis, unraveling protections that are designed to save billions of dollars, and thousands of lives.” And not only is President Trump denying climate science and the realities of our energy economy with this executive order, but he is also turning his back on broad, bipartisan public support for clean energy, clean air and water safeguards, and climate action.
Donald Trump claims that climate change is a “hoax” created by the Chinese, but most Americans side with the 97% of climate scientists who agree climate change is happening and is mostly due to human activity. Just this month, Gallup found that nearly seven-in-ten Americans (68%) -- a record high -- believe “global warming” is mostly caused by human activities. Two-in-three Americans (66%) say they personally worry about climate change, including 45% who worry about it "a great deal." This is the highest level of concern found by Gallup since they began asking this question in 1989. And while partisan gaps in concern endure, most Trump voters do not ascribe to his dangerous and baseless views on climate change. According to a report from Yale and George Mason universities, 49% of Trump voters think “global warming” is happening while just 30% do not.
The Clean Power Plan remains popular because it protects our air, water, and health by curbing dangerous carbon pollution and reducing other toxic pollutants like mercury, smog, and sulfur dioxide. In fact, seven-in-ten American voters support the Clean Power Plan, including 89% of Democrats, 64% of Independents, and 47% of Republicans. In a survey by Hart Research, two-in-three Americans who voted in the 2016 presidential election (65%) said they would oppose any effort by the Trump administration to take away the EPA’s ability to set limits on carbon pollution from power plants. This includes strong majorities of Clinton voters and nearly half of Trump voters (47%). Americans understand that dismantling these air and water safeguards would help corporate polluters rake in billions at the expense of the health of our families.
While President Trump vows to increase domestic production of fossil fuels like coal, poll after poll demonstrates that Americans prefer that the country focus on clean energy sources like wind and solar. Eight-in-ten voters think the U.S. should be using more clean and renewable energy, including 85% of Democrats, 78% of independents and 76% of Republicans. And according to Gallup, 65% of Americans want the country to prioritize developing alternative sources like wind and solar over expanding production of oil, coal, and gas. Voters also overwhelmingly reject Trump’s notion that moving away from dirty fossil fuels will hurt jobs or the economy. Half of voters (51%) believe policies intended to transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean sources will lead to economic growth and more jobs, while an additional 21% do not think it will have an impact.
We can all agree that the country needs more good-paying jobs and domestic energy production, but Americans across the partisan spectrum understand that our growing clean energy economy is the best path to do just that while safeguarding our air, water, and climate. This executive order proves how out-of-step President Trump is with science, economics, and the American public.