Of the many ways in which Donald Trump’s return to the White House promises to upend federal politics, few are more predictable or more damaging than the The U-turn he and his allies are threatening to do on climate change and environmental protection. Fortunately, California has considerable power to counter this attack.
The first Trump administration reversed course more than 100 regulations on air and water quality, toxic chemicals and wildlife conservation. He called global warming a prankwithdrew from the Paris climate accord, reduced national monuments, and appointed Environmental Protection Agency administrators who aided polluters at the expense of public health.
Many experts believe that Trump’s election is a last “nail in the coffin» for efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. He did it, after all, we urge the leaders of the oil sector to support his latest campaign in exchange for rolling back environmental rules.
Given Republican majorities in the House and Senate and the Supreme Court’s conservative hostility toward environmental regulation, Trump’s anti-environmental excesses will need to be checked at the state and local level.
To this end, as part of its plan to win a second high-profile campaign against Trump’s policiesGovernor Gavin Newsom called a special session of the Legislative Assembly to prepare California’s legal defense. Newsom, indicate Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and other like-minded California and state leaders can provide an important bulwark against attacks on environmental protections, just as they did eight years ago. Former State Attorney. General Xavier Becerra filed more than 100 lawsuits against the first Trump administration, many concerning environmental issues, and he won much more than he lost.
But California officials can’t just play defense. They should use state power and influence to mount an environmental offensive, neutralizing the impending damage as much as possible.
With Trump’s team expected to scrap President Biden’s electric vehicle tax credit, among other setbacks, California can solidify its reputation for consistent commitment to its climate policies. A federal retreat from these policies will make the United States less competitive by ceding its leadership in clean energy technologies to China, Europe, and other rivals. The strength and stability of the world’s fifth-largest economy make it an attractive partner for innovation and investment, as the federal government oscillates chaotically. That worked in California’s favor in 2019, when Ford, Honda and other automakers sidestepped the Trump administration’s efforts to weaken emissions standards and reached an agreement with Californiaciting the need for “regulatory certainty”.
“It’s not that they hated Trump,” said Mary Nichols, who chaired the California Air Resources Board at the time. “They wanted relief, but they wanted to have a discussion with people motivated by science and data, not ideology. »
California’s position is also bolstered by a climate and energy landscape that has changed dramatically in eight years, putting Trump’s agenda at odds with economic realities.
Electric vehicles are booming worldwide. One in five new cars sold is now battery poweredwith 1.7 million electric vehicles expected to be sold in the United States this year, more than eight times more than at the start of Trump’s first term. More than 40% of the country’s electricity now comes from carbon-free sources, twice as much as in 2016.
The Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark climate law signed by Biden, sparked a boom in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing as well as other clean energy technologies that have disproportionately benefited red states and districts . While Trump pledged to “cancel all unspent funds” under the law, 18 House Republicans urged Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) not to repeal his clean energy tax credits, noting that they have “spurred innovation, encouraged investment, and created good jobs in many parts of the country – including many districts represented by Republicans.
Trump may come under pressure not to renege on his commitments to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from other unexpected places. The boss of Exxon Mobil warned him against withdrawing from the Paris agreement on the grounds that the world needs an emissions management system.
Then there are the various self-imposed obstacles, including Trump’s choice to lead the EPA: former Representative Lee Zeldin of New Yorkwhose main qualification seems to be loyalty. Zeldin’s lack of environmental experience could hamper efforts to dismantle regulations, which requires a lot of expertise, legal rigor and time.
Trump’s plan to purge the federal ranks of career civil servants and replacing them with loyalists could further reduce its ability to roll back regulations, said Ann Carlson, a UCLA environmental law professor and former acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The reality is that nothing can be accomplished without good public servants,” she said.
Yet Trump can do real damage by attacking states trying to combat climate change. Expect new efforts to revoke California’s waivers to set stricter vehicle emissions standards, including several have not yet been approved by Biden’s EPA. The state’s ability to respond to climate-induced disasters is also under threat: Trump has repeatedly said this. threatened to withhold federal aid to fight California wildfires, and the Project 2025 manual for his second term calls for dismantling the National Weather Service.
For its own security, California will need creative, self-sustaining new policies. That means tough action from state regulators such as the state Public Utilities Commission and Air Resources Board and local authorities such as the Coast Air Quality Management District South, which has dragged its feet for years to advance tougher rules for some of Southern California’s biggest polluters. the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Local leaders like Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will need to do more. So far, it has failed to use its control over the Port of Los Angeles to take meaningful action to clean up polluting diesel emissions.
We face the threat of years of lost climate ground at a time when we cannot afford it. It’s time for state and local leaders to get to work and show that despite a second Trump administration, environmentally friendly policy is still possible if they fight for it .
