In response to reports on President Trump’s upcoming Executive Order to rollback rules that control climate pollution from power plants and reverse efforts to build climate preparedness in the US and abroad, Oxfam America’s Climate Change Manager, Heather Coleman, made the following statement:
“President Trump’s reprehensible move to dismantle US progress in fighting climate change is yet another signal that this administration could not care less about the millions of vulnerable people around the world who live on the front lines of a climate crisis they did not create. These actions cater to the fossil fuel industry and corporate elites, while leaving the most vulnerable high and dry.
"Never before have the impacts of a changing climate felt so severe, with disproportionate impacts on those already living in poverty here at home and across the world. Yet with these actions, the Trump administration is choosing to abandon any claim to the US moral high ground.
“This move will threaten the US’s international credibility and puts the country’s national and economic security at risk. The world is moving quickly towards a clean energy economy, with or without US leadership. The move will only jeopardize America’s competitiveness globally and pave the way for others to fill the void.
“It’s reported that the Executive Order will rescind guidance to US federal agencies to make smarter climate investment decisions that pay off in the long run and ensures communities here at home and abroad are better equipped to build resilience to climate change. Responding to climate-related disasters when they strike rather than investing in sound risk reduction programs today could ultimately cost US taxpayers up to 40 percent more. This constitutes another bad investment move by President Trump that won’t benefit the American people and instead will take more money from their pockets over time.
“Despite the lack of leadership from the President and Congress in addressing climate change, US businesses, cities, and states are stepping up to commit to climate action and to long-term solutions that create safer, healthier communities and strong economic prosperity. Oxfam will continue to encourage equitable solutions to the climate crisis and hold sectors and government leaders accountable.”
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