Environmentalists Infuriated by Trump’s Shocking Earth Day Message

While millions of environmental activists consolidated efforts to educate the world about saving the planet from pollution and climate change in celebration of the annual Earth Day, Donald Trump had a completely different message for the special occasion in which he applauded the systematic deregulation in the U.S. that has rolled back all the environmental efforts made by former president Barack Obama to prevent the devastating consequences of climate change.

In Trump’s Earth Day message, he praised his administration’s efforts to remove ‘unnecessary environmental regulations’

Trump’s Earth Day Message

Trump managed to shock the world yet again on the weekend of Earth Day after releasing a statement in which he praised his administration’s efforts to remove ‘unnecessary regulations’ which have played a key role in preserving the environment and preventing further damage to our planet. In his Earth Day message, Trump acknowledged the need for clean water, land and air for human survival but stressed that a strong economy is equally important to protect essential environmental resources which is why his administration has decided to remove unnecessary environmental regulations which have hindered economic growth.

Despite Trump’s efforts to make himself look like the champion of economic growth and environmentalism, people on the internet were not fooled by his false assurances, and many attacked him for economic policies which were promoting systematic damage to the environment.

The ironic statement also showed president’s lack of knowledge about the significance of Earth Day which first took place in 1970 on April 22, marking the beginning of what we know today as the modern environmental movement. Many groundbreaking environmental laws – which are considered ‘unnecessary regulations’ by Trump according to his Earth Day statement – such as the Clean Air and Water Act and Endangered Species Act were passed due to the crucial movement.

Suspension of Clean Water and Air Acts

Natural Resources Defense Council says that the roll back on the Clean Air Act is the systematic damage of the environment by allowing uninhibited air pollution levels in the name of economic prosperity

After his inauguration, one of the top priorities for Donald Trump was to remove the Clean Air Act which was passed decades ago to ensure that industries adhere to strict carbon emission and air pollution limits. After rolling back one of the most important environmental policies, the government received backlash from climate change activists and environmentalists who warned that the decision could be one of the worst crimes against public health.

A few months ago, Environmental Protection Agency, under Trump’s orders, announced the suspension of Clean Water Act for the next few years as a gift to polluters to contaminate water resources and destroy marine ecosystems. Environmentalists have fired back saying that the government may be able to suspend the act easily but people can’t ‘suspend’ their need for clean water which is a basic necessity for human survival.

Other Anti-Environmental Policies

Next on Trump’s environmental hit-list is the Endangered Species Conservation Fund which is meant to protect species and habitats which are on the verge of extinction. According to the GOP bill proposed in Congress, Trump wants to cut funding for Fish and Wildlife which is responsible for wildlife protection. If Trump gets his way with the new bill, which is expected to be passed in 2019, there will be fewer wildlife species remaining by the time him term comes to an end.

Apart from withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, Trump has also allowed offshore drilling projects in the pristine Arctic location

Trump’s proposed budget for 2019 has been widely criticized by environmentalists, and the Center for Biological Diversity has gone as far as calling it a death sentence for species that are already on the brink of extinction. Thanks to the current president’s anti-environmental sentiments, the U.S. is no longer a part of the Paris Agreement either and has engaged in a number of dangerous activities such as approving offshore oil drilling projects in the pristine Arctic area which has been protected from grilling for several decades.

The environmental regulations that took Obama almost a decade to pass have been rolled back in a matter of two years ever since Donald Trump took office. It’s hard to predict what new policy GOP will introduce to hurt the environment but its safe to say that Trump’s policy has undone most of the efforts spurred by the Earth Day movement. Many were able to pick up on the hypocrisy of his ironic Earth Day message and mocked him on Twitter for it.