Why Is Trump Opposed to Environmental Protections? My Unorthodox Theory

It's Not Just About Government Deregulation.

Folks, I have a theory about why U.S. President Trump is trying to roll back environmental protections and climate action at every possible opportunity; and it's a pretty wild theory, even for me. Actually, you might say it's more of a suspicion than a theory. I'm speaking purely for myself and my own opinion here; I can't prove this idea beyond a doubt; and I don't expect absolutely everybody to agree with me (or even to understand what the hell I'm talking about). But in a nutshell, I think it has to do with religious apocalyptic mythology, and the fringe Religious Right people who now have access to the White House, and who are quite freely advising the Big Orange Guy.

From withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement to making proposals for rescinding the Clean Air Act, a cursory glance at this administration's environmental policies demonstrates that Trump & Mob are anything but eco-friendly. Trump has consistently chosen people for environmental policy positions whose interests lean as far industrial as one could imagine, including one William Happer, who recently compared proposals for carbon dioxide reduction to the vilification of Jews in Nazi Germany (I kid you not). Their rationale is that rescinding as many environmental rules and regulations as possible will result in a healthier economy and employment growth over both the short and long term, never mind the long-term impacts on both the global environment and public health. I would argue, however, that Trump's animosity to climate science and environmental protections is not entirely due to the influence of the fossil fuel industries and other corporate interests. I believe that fringe religious fundamentalists who have Trump's ear, and direct access to the Oval Office, are also a significant factor in the formulation of the current administration's less-than-benign neglect of ecological well-being.

Without listing names, I am more than half-convinced that Trump's so-called "faith council", the same bunch who cheered on the inexplicable ban on transgender service members, are among the voices prodding Trump's rollback of environmental protections, as well as his proposals to open all U.S. waters and National Parks to fossil fuel exploration. Why? Well, there are two major belief sets in play here. First, there is the "stewardship model" of humanity's relationship with nature--yes, humans are responsible for taking care of the natural world, it tells us; but Planet Earth is primarily a collection of "natural resources" that humans are entitled to use and control. Second, and just as dangerous, is the "End Times" theology, which plunged much of humanity into a state of chronic fear back in the 1980's. As I recall from my high school and college days, any number of conservative Christian leaders were chomping at the bit for the United States and the now-former Soviet Union to start nuking each other, thereby bringing the world to an end, and possibly hastening the second coming of Jesus Christ, who would commence judging and damning all groups of people that the so-called Religious Right disapproved of. Some of those "Apocalypse Now" preachers are no longer with us; but those who are still on this earth plane are preaching a similar End Times message, and some of those guys currently have America's commander-in-chief on speed dial. It appears to me that, minus a nuclear conflict between the U.S. and North Korea, certain Religious Right people are counting on mass extinction, climate crises, and accelerated environmental degradation as the means to the End of the World.

To be fair, not all activist evangelicals are in lockstep with the Trump Administration. Some of their leading figures have recently called out Trump for family separation policies targeting Central American immigrants and asylum-seekers, essentially treating them all as illegal aliens. This runs counter to the importance many conservative Christians place on family relationships and community support thereof. However, those who put excessive belief and trust in Trump are perverting historical Christian theology, including the teachings that nobody (including even Jesus) knows when Judgment Day is coming along (hence, one should be ready to go at any time); and that humans are essentially the gardeners of Creation, accountable to the Creator for respecting and preserving the natural world, and using its resources responsibly, not in a spirit of greed or dominance. Here and now, it's time for nature-respecting people of faith to clamor for Trump to pay attention; meanwhile, it is also up to us to influence the state governments and courts toward responsible climate-action policies and actions. Amen. Ameen. So Mote It Be.