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Said Donald Trump during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2025 😓. 

   

 According to the United Nations (2020), the consequences of climate change are far-reaching, and the effects on soil, water and air include droughts, wildfires, rising sea levels, melting ice, and storms, amongst others. Consequently, this has devastating effects not only on the living creatures around us, but also on our own survival. As the United Nations notes, climate change affects our health, productive capacity and housing; particularly for people living in high-risk areas such as island nations or developing countries, leading to the relocation and migration of entire communities, or even famines.

In this regard, the United States is among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases; therefore, the way in which it understands, analyses and acts on this climate issue will have a significant impact on the well-being of the country and the world. According to the Research Institute for Sustainability (2025), US policy prior to Donald Trump has been inconsistent and contradictory; however, it has generally followed a line leaning towards recognising the importance of climate change and regulatory action (particularly under Democratic administrations).

This tendency was broken by Donald Trump’s rise to power. Despite the Biden administration’s efforts to rejoin the Paris Agreement and strengthen ties with key allies in the fight against climate change, Trump’s re-election swiftly and drastically dismantled US policies on climate change and renewable energy, withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement once again, suspending climate regulations, and taking the opposite tack by seeking to increase the use of coal, oil and gas. 

Trump withdraws US from Paris climate agreement for second time 

Concerning air pollution, this involves the release of harmful substances such as fine particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, tropospheric ozone and volatile organic compounds, generated mainly by industry, vehicles and fossil fuel power stations. These pollutants alter the atmospheric composition, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, cancer and ecosystem damage such as acidification and climate change (Meo et al., 2024). 

Within this framework, US environmental policies during Donald Trump’s terms in office adopted a deregulatory approach to air pollution, prioritising economic recovery, energy independence and the promotion of fossil fuels over strict regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Baker, 2020). Under the Clean Air Act, the administration reinterpreted regulations to reduce regulatory burdens, revoking key measures such as the Clean Power Plan and standards on methane and mercury emissions and vehicle efficiency (Bomberg, 2021). This shift, reinforced during his second term, sought to speed up industrial permitting and reduce environmental oversight. Although defended as a strategy to promote growth and employment, it has drawn criticism for its potential effects on public health and the deterioration of air quality, reopening the debate on the balance between economic development and environmental protection (Duffau, 2025).

A layer of smog lingers above downtown Los Angeles

Regarding water pollution, this is a significant environmental problem that occurs when harmful substances enter rivers, lakes and groundwater, affecting their quality and putting living organisms at risk. This prolem is mainly caused by human activities, such as industry, agriculture and the inappropriate use of natural resources, which have negative effects on ecosystems and human health (Kılıç, 2021). Furthermore, water pollution can affect access to basic resources, as it limits the availability of clean water for consumption and other essential activities, making it difficult for communities to meet their daily needs in many regions today.

Lake Okeechobee in Florida

In the United States, the way in which water pollution is controlled depends on the government’s environmental policies, as these determine the level of protection afforded to natural resources and the control measures in place (Kraft, 2021). In this context, during Donald Trump’s administration, a deregulation approach was promoted that reduced water protection. In particular, proposed changes to the Clean Water Act sought to limit which waters were protected at the federal level, excluding some wetlands and small bodies of water. This reduced control over various sources of pollution, raising concerns about increased water pollution and its effects on the environment and public health (Blomain, 2020).

Lastly, a growing problem in the United States is soil contamination, which is evident in mining regions where mineral extraction practices are carried out, leading to chemical changes in the environment. According to Greenberg & Schneider (2025), surface mining involves removing layers of vegetation, soil and rock, which allows minerals to seep into the environment and damages soil quality as well as associated water systems.

US Mining Industry 

Furthermore, these authors point out that a cumulative risk is generated in the area, impacting environmental conditions. In this regard, Lee (2025) describes it as a logic of industrial capitalism, in which the exploitation of natural resources is justified by a vision of economic growth where, despite environmental damage, the aim is to maximise production and exploit as many resources as possible. In this way, the Donald Trump administration reinforces this logic, seeking to support the fossil fuel industry and roll back environmental measures. Similarly, all of this hinders the implementation of adequate mechanisms to prevent long-term pollution in the area. In this context, soil contamination is not only a consequence of mining activity but also of political decisions that hinder proper environmental management.

In that sense, the main objective of this blog is to analyse the approach to environmental policy in the United States during Donald Trump’s two terms in office

For this purpose, we need to:

examine the air pollution approach of environmental policies in the United States during Donald Trump’s two terms in office,

explore the water contamination approach of environmental policies in the United States during Donald Trump’s two terms in office, and 

outline the earth contamination approach of environmental policies in the United States during Donald Trump’s two terms in office.

This blog aims not only to assess environmental policies in the United States during Donald Trump’s two terms in office, but also to highlight the key challenges these decisions pose to the country’s role as a leader in global climate protection. As evidenced by cases of air, water and soil pollution, the policies implemented during these administrations were characterised by a deregulatory approach that prioritised economic growth, industrial expansion and the strengthening of the fossil fuel industry over environmental protection. This trend, based on the reinterpretation of regulatory frameworks such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, as well as the relaxation of controls on extractive activities, has had direct repercussions on the deterioration of ecosystems and on the risks to public health highlighted by various authors.

In this regard, these factors highlight that one of the main challenges facing the United States lies in the difficulty of reconciling its economic objectives with long-term environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the evidence presented reveals a lack of consistency in its environmental policies, which undermines the country’s ability to maintain sustained commitments to tackling climate change. Taken together, these dynamics not only affect the domestic sphere but also limit its credibility and consistency as a key player in international climate governance, highlighting the structural tensions it faces in establishing itself as a model of environmental leadership.

Bibliography

A Roller Coaster: 25 Years of U.S. Climate Policy. (2025). Research Institute for Sustainability. https://www.rifs-potsdam.de/en/news/roller-coaster-25-years-us-climate-policy

Baker, C. (2020, 15 diciembre). The Trump administration’s major environmental deregulations. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-trump-administrations-major-environmental-deregulations/

Blomain, B. W. (2020). Trump Administration Makes a Splash: The Altered Clean Water Act's Rippling Effect on State and Federal Water Regulation. Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991-), 31(1), 2.

Bomberg, E. (2021). The environmental legacy of President Trump. Policy Studies, 42(5–6), 628–645. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2021.1922660

Duffau, E. (2025, 25 marzo). The attacks of the Trump II administration on climate, the environment, and biodiversity. IRIS. https://www.iris-france.org/en/111410/

Greenberg, M. R., & Schneider, D. (2025). Coal Mines and Multi-Faceted Risks in the United States: On a Path Toward a Sustainable Future or Emptying Out? Sustainability, 17(4), 1658. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041658 

Kılıç, Z. (2021). Water pollution: causes, negative effects and prevention methods. İstanbul Sabahattin Zaim Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, 3(2), 129-132.

Kraft, M. E. (2021). Environmental policy and politics. Routledge.

Lee, W. L. (2025). "THE CAPITALIST ETHIC OF THE KLEPTOCENE AND THE SUBVERSION OF THE DOCTRINE OF DOUBLE EFFECT". Ethics and the Environment, 30(2), 89-119. https://doi.org/10.2979/een.00020 

Meo, S. A., Salih, M. A., Alkhalifah, J. M., Alsomali, A. H., & Almushawah, A. A. (2024). Effect of Air Pollutants Particulate Matter PM2.5, PM10, Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), and Ozone (O3) on Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO). Pakistan journal of medical sciences, 40(8), 1719–1723. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.8.9630

Nations, U. (2020). ¿Qué es el cambio climático? | Naciones Unidas. United Nations. https://www.un.org/es/climatechange/what-is-climate-change