15 Apr A Different Type of Earth Day

April is typically a month of rejoicing, a month of bright days mixed with spring showers. Flowers begin to bloom, and it feels as though the world is taking a step away from the coldness of the winter season. This transformative month also contains a celebration called Earth Day, 22nd April. A national holiday, Earth Day has become a major figure in the American national consciousness. Originally starting in the wake of a national teach-in led by Senator Gaylord Nelson during the environmentalist movement of the 1970s, the day serves to invoke retrospective and prospective discussions about the planet. It is a celebration of both the beauty of the earth, from the highest mountains to the deepest canyons, while also honoring the work and progress environmental activists have achieved. But besides simply honoring the past, Earth Day is about looking forward to recognizing the need for more environmental care, stewardship, and justice. The celebration attempts to prompt discussions and bring awareness of the work needed to be done to properly protect the planet in an equitable and sustainable manner.  

However, in the year 2025, Earth Day must be understood in a different context. The current Trump administration ran on an antithesis to environmental action. From the crude phrase “Drill, Baby, Drill” that Donald Trump exclaimed at rallies to the year-long messaging of overreaching regulatory agencies, the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump for the second time brought intense worry for activists. Although the environmental record of the previous administration of Joe Biden was far from perfect, there were sizable gains in environmental protections, sustainable initiatives, and environmental justice. As the ballots were counted on November 5th, this progress was feared by activists to be all but forgotten. This worry was warranted, as when Donald Trump took the oath of office, he began his crusade against environmental protections and action. 

This assault began within the largest environmental apparatus in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The new head of the agency, Lee Zeldin (someone with no real background in environmental issue), has gone on a rampage through the agency’s existing structure under the guidance of and to fulfill President Trump’s desires. What this has translated to is a massive deregulation effort of the agency’s initiatives and regulations. Programs that involve setting emission standards for cars, access to coal production permits, and regulations on the oil and gas industry have all been gutted. Under claims that the United States has become too dependent on foreign energy or that the EPA has placed too much regulation upon fossil fuels, the goal of “Drill, Baby, Drill” will come to fruition. The power of the EPA had been turned entirely on its head, as the leading force for environmental protection now serves as a tool to demolish it for profit. The EPA has morphed into a chainsaw to be wielded for destruction. 

Besides deregulating the EPA, there have been numerous other attacks on environmentalism within the United States from the Trump administration. A major way this has been done is to remove the United States from the conversation on climate change and environmental justice. In a repeat of a decision from his first term, one of the first acts of the Trump presidency was to leave the Paris Climate Agreement. While the voluntary nature of the agreement was an inefficient way to battle climate change, it served as a main avenue for state actors to discuss and come together for sustainable solutions. Trump’s decision to remove the United States from the agreement not only harms the United States in upholding the goals itself but also harms the agreement by delegitimizing it. If one of the world’s most powerful and emitting countries decides they do not have to adhere to international objectives, why must other states follow them? In addition, the administration has engaged in another action that has been more subtle, but still insidious. They have erased any mention of environmental justice from government websites, stated goals, and any piece of media. By erasing this term, they are attempting to depower it, to remove it from the public discourse and define the crisis on their terms. Messaging and language hold an extreme amount of power, and in this action, the Trump administration is trying to capitalize on that. To further the effort to erase environmental justice in its entirety, the Trump administration has also closed all environmental justice offices across the country. 

Environmental policy has changed under the new Trump presidency. It is vital to understand what these changes are, what they entail, and what effects they will have. Too often these actualities are left opaque, and for them to be truly challenged, the curtain must be dropped. We must inspire change and protest against this anti-environmental action. During this year’s Earth Day, people must realize the efforts to destroy the environment around them. When celebrating the beauty of the earth, it is vital to put into context the futility of nature. But this does not have to be the future, as Earth Day came to be about calling attention to environmental degradation in the 1970s. That spirit of protest should be taken up again, and on this Earth Day, people must come together to fight back for the environment in any manner possible. 

By Toby Keeler