Donald Trump used his third State of the Union address to brag about the United States’ reliance on climate-wrecking oil and gas and tout his latest false solution to the climate crisis, the trillion trees initiative.
In response, Greenpeace USA Climate Campaign Director Janet Redman said:
“Trump loves to brag about his environmental record, but his policies have fueled the climate crisis at every turn. In fact, he has an ‘F’ on the Greenpeace Climate 2020 scorecard [1], the only candidate in the field to earn zero out of a possible 100 points. Since 2017, his administration has attempted to weaken or remove a staggering 95 different environmental regulations [2]. This includes gutting the Endangered Species Act, opening new areas to oil and gas drilling, and eliminating protections for clean air and drinking water.”
“In the face of a climate emergency, Trump’s ‘trillion trees’ initiative is like trying to put out a raging dumpster fire with a squirt gun. Planting trees is not a substitute for cutting carbon emissions or addressing the unjust impacts of extractive industries on marginalized communities. If Trump thinks millions of climate voters will be fooled by this poorly disguised get-out-of-jail-free card for the oil industry, he’s wrong. Instead of investing in false solutions, the United States should be rapidly phasing out oil, gas, and coal and pursuing a just transition to community-powered, renewable energy.”
“Major oil corporations like Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP spend billions [3] lobbying to kill climate laws and kick the can down the road, and they’ve found an ally in Trump. Climate denial is not a victimless crime, and voters are ready to hold the perpetrators accountable in 2020 — including Trump.”
ENDS
Notes:
[1] The interactive candidate scorecard is available here, a detailed breakdown by candidate is available here, and the scoring methodology is available here.
[2] Source: https://www.nytimes.com/
Contact: Ryan Schleeter, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA: +1 (415) 342-2386, [email protected]
