Trump reverses decades of climate progress in his first 100 days

Donald Trump has transformed US environmental policy in just 20 days since returning to power on January 2025, XNUMX. With executive orders reviving coal, halting wind power, and freezing climate funding, his administration has erased much of Biden's green legacy in one fell swoop. The impact is already being felt at key scientific agencies like the EPA and NOAA, whose staffs have been decimated. Meanwhile, the consequences threaten not only the health of Americans but also global leadership in the fight against climate change.

The fossil counter-reformation

On his first day, Trump declared a "national energy emergency." which paved the way for a rollback of Biden-era environmental rules. An executive order lifted the drilling ban on 16 million acres in the Arctic and unblocked oil and gas exploration in more than 600 million acres of coastal waters.

Trump also reactivated liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits. that had been suspended in 2024 to assess their environmental and economic impact. Despite findings warning that this expansion would harm domestic consumers and hamper climate goals, the new government has prioritized energy exports.

Coal, the most polluting source, has been rescued with a series of decrees that accelerate permits and eliminate regulatory obstacles. This comes as more than 60 countries have drastically limited their coal plants since 2015. Contrary to the current, Trump even allows older plants to continue operating, circumventing regulations on toxic emissions..

Blow to renewable energies

The administration has paused offshore wind energy bidding and frozen permits and loans for both onshore and offshore wind projects. It also blocked unspent funds from Biden's historic green investment package, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)., which forecast more than $369.000 billion in renewables.

A federal judge in Rhode Island has already ordered the restoration of those funds, stating that the executive branch lacks the authority to overrule laws passed by Congress.

In parallel, the government seeks to repeal key regulations on air pollution, mercury, soot, and wastewater, which could lead to an increase in premature deaths and health crises, according to former EPA officials. Studies point to More than 200.000 premature deaths and 10.000 asthma attacks per day if these setbacks materialize..

Unprecedented institutional dismantling

In just three months, the administration has laid off thousands of scientists and public employees., especially in key agencies such as the EPA, NOAA, and USAID. In total, More than 1.000 NOAA workers and hundreds of EPA environmental justice experts have been laid off., seriously weakening the institutional capacity to respond to climate disasters, monitor biodiversity or predict extreme events.

The impact is transversal: Programs such as Power Africa and SERVIR, which predicted droughts and floods via satellite, have been canceled without notice.. According to the American Lung Association, 46% of Americans already live in areas with dangerous pollution levels, a figure that can only worsen if these cuts are consolidated.

The removal of independent scientists from EPA advisory committees It represents a shift towards policies without technical support, which undermines decades of evidence-based work. The dismantling also includes attacks on state laws such as California's emissions trading system or the "climate superfund" laws of New York and Vermont.

Withdrawal from the global stage

One of the most symbolic steps of the new Trumpism has been the formal withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, aligning the US with countries like Iran and Libya as the only ones outside the pact. The administration also left the board of the UN Loss and Damage Fund, created to compensate the most vulnerable countries in the face of extreme weather events.

Trump has halted contributions to the Green Climate Fund and the International Climate Finance Scheme., putting international cooperation at risk. The most severe blow to climate diplomacy came in February, when The US vetoed a UN resolution on the 2030 Agenda, remaining isolated along with Israel and Argentina.

At the same time, a US delegation was banned from a key IPCC meeting in China. This lack of scientific leadership threatens America's global credibility., warned Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

The invisible cost of going backwards

Trump has redrawn the climate landscape in 100 days, but his legacy could be felt for generations. Denialism no longer disguises itself as scientific skepticism: it is now an articulated political, economic, and geopolitical strategy that dismantles institutions, eliminates regulations, weakens alliances, and sows disinformation.

The energy transition is not an ideological fad, but a geophysical necessity. While the rest of the world is accelerating toward clean energy, Trump is betting on "liquid gold" underground, ignoring the fact that the cost is not only environmental but also social, health, and economic. Investing in coal or oil today condemns the country to losing the technological race of the 21st century.

Science doesn't need to be popular, but it does need to be respected. The new climate denialism no longer denies climate change; It trivializes it, bureaucratizes it and turns it into an electoral weapon. Meanwhile, fires are intensifying, hurricanes are multiplying, and millions of people are already experiencing the consequences. Denying the problem doesn't make it go away. It only leaves us less prepared to deal with it.