The United States has always been a world leader, not just because of its superpower status or wealth or military or industrial might, but also because it leads in scientific innovation, civil liberties, women empowerment and issues like climate change.<\/p>\n
Former President Barack Obama instituted environmental protection laws to reduce carbon emissions and curb climate change. Obama even called climate change a threat to national security.<\/p>\n
However, his successor, Donald Trump, seems to be determined to dismantle Obama\u2019s climate legacy to accommodate his own beliefs about climate change and environmental protection.<\/p>\n
Soon after announcing that EPA will be trimmed down to size, both in jobs and budget, President Trump has now started to reverse major executive orders regarding environmental protections put in place by his predecessor.<\/p>\n
He also wants to review the Clean Power Plan, an Obama regulation to cut the use of fossil fuels for electricity.<\/p>\n
This is not surprising, coming from a man whose position on climate change is that it\u2019s a hoax.<\/p>\n
Trump once tweeted that global warming is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese to derail US economic competitiveness.<\/p>\n
Also not surprising is that Scott Pruitt, the new EPA chief, thinks that carbon dioxide is not a major environmental pollutant, as years of climate science research have proved, and who regularly sued the EPA as Governor of Alabama.<\/p>\n