Virginia Cramer, virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Donald Trump later today is expected to sign an Executive Order creating an interagency council to coordinate the U.S.’s participation in the international One Trillion Trees Initiative. The Order follows repeated climate denial from the Trump administration and a proposal last month to open vast swaths of irreplaceable old-growth rainforest in the Tongass National Forest to clearcut logging.
In response, Dan Ritzman, director of Sierra Club’s Land, Water, Wildlife campaign issued the following statement.
“We cannot solve the climate crisis without focusing on forests. Planting more trees is an important step, expanding protections for our old growth forests is also needed to meet our climate goals But focusing only on forests is not enough. The scale of the climate and extinction crises we’re currently facing requires action to both protect more nature and to decarbonize our economy.
“The Trump administration has not only failed to act on climate, but actively worsened the crises. We can not afford to ignore the forest for the trees.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.