Reaction by Nathan Richardson to Trump’s Executive Order on Climate Policy
WASHINGTON—Nathan Richardson is a nationally leading environmental law expert, a Visiting Fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF), and an Associate Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina. His reflections on President Trump’s announcement yesterday reach this conclusion:
“There have been many missed opportunities in the United States over the last few decades to take serious action to address the threat of climate change. A single executive order might therefore seem unremarkable. But today’s action is significant, I believe, even if its immediate impacts are small. It signals not delay, but retreat. Not political rhetoric, but a commitment to destructive action. Even considering America’s past failures to act, today’s move is a clear and public shift away from any serious climate policy … At stake are the global economy, entire ecosystems, and the lives of millions—most of them not yet living. Those future generations will judge the authors of today’s policy harshly.”
Read the full piece here: Trump’s Climate Executive Order Discards American Values.
Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Its mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF is committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy.
Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed here are those of the individual authors and may differ from those of other RFF experts, its officers, or its directors. RFF does not take positions on specific legislative proposals.
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