Trump administration environmental moves continue to worry Catholic advocates

(OSV News) -- As the Trump administration continues to rapidly shift U.S. environmental policy, Catholic advocates are expressing increased consternation, while also stressing the need for personal responsibility and grassroots-level change in tackling climate concerns.

On March 6, the Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump filed a motion to roll back safety regulations for sites handling hazardous chemicals. Implemented during the Biden administration, the rules specified safeguards for disaster preparedness at such sites, while requiring safer alternatives for especially dangerous materials and greater information sharing with area residents and first responders. The Biden measures also included independent audits of sites with prior accidents.

The move to lift the Biden-era restrictions regarding such chemicals is part of the Trump administration's sweeping policy revamp, which prioritizes energy development, deregulation and downsizing of the federal government.

Since taking office in January, Trump has signed a number of executive orders related to the environment, including one that -- as during his first term in office -- withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Agreement, an international accord to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. had rejoined the agreement in 2021 during the Biden administration.

In addition, Trump has declared an "energy emergency," vowing to "unleash" U.S. energy potential and to "drill, baby, drill" for fossil fuels.

But Dan Misleh, founder and executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant -- a Washington-based nonprofit the U.S. bishops helped to form in support of care for creation -- said that approach misses the mark.

"Among the primary purposes of government are to promote the common good and protect citizens. In these early days of the Trump administration, it is clear that neither of these purposes is being met when it comes to the environment," Misleh told OSV News.

"For decades, scientists have been warning us that the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities are warming the planet," said Misleh. "This administration seems to be not only ignoring but actively working against this basic scientific fact and potentially condemning current and future generations to a highly unstable climate."

Franciscan Brother Jacek Orzechowski, associate director of the Laudato Si' Center for Integral Ecology at Siena College, described the Trump administration changes to environmental policy as "a colossal moral failure" and a "social sin which cries to heaven," as well as "a profound affront to the Creator God."

He quoted St. John Paul II's urgent call, made during a 2001 general audience, for an "ecological conversion" ahead of a looming "catastrophe" for humanity. The pontiff said humanity had become "no longer the Creator's 'steward,' but an autonomous despot, who is finally beginning to understand that he must stop at the edge of the abyss."

Brother Jacek pointed to "overwhelming scientific evidence that the burning of fossil fuels has put us on the precipice of climate catastrophe."

On its website, NASA states that the burning of fossil fuels over the last century have exacerbated the natural greenhouse effect, with "human-made emissions in the atmosphere … trapping and slowing heat loss to space" -- a process that results in overall warming.

Topher Anderson, a self-described conservative Catholic who has worked on environmental issues, told OSV News that he has been "disappointed" in the Trump administration's environmental policy so far.

In particular, he lamented administration efforts to "begin dismantling the national parks system ... one of our national treasures and a beautiful way to marvel at God's creation."

Some 1,000 recently hired park workers have been dismissed as part of sweeping cuts led by billionaire Elon Musk, the driving force behind and face of the administration's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The cutbacks stand to impact park maintenance and visitor services. At the same time, some 5,000 seasonal park workers were reinstated after their positions were initially slashed.

The overall park system downsizing contrasts with Trump's 2020 Great American Outdoors Act, which sought to bolster funds for park maintenance.

Anderson also rued Trump cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, "which provided vital data to better predict extreme weather and climate trends."

Misleh said the Trump administration's response to its declared "energy emergency ... should include sustainable forms of energy and energy efficiency policies." He added that "energy efficiency projects reduce costs in the long run and provide good jobs," while "sustainable energy like wind and solar are not only renewable but often save money over the cost of traditional utility power."

He clarified that previous administrations, either Democratic or Republican, had not done everything they could have done to reduce emissions.

"But jamming on the breaks and throwing into reverse any progress we have made seems to be driven by political calculations and ideology rather than on scientific facts, economic opportunities, and the common good," Misleh said.

Anderson noted that "it is still very early" in the administration and he was "watching for decisions that would either greatly benefit or harm the environment."

Cutting red tape for building energy projects, Anderson said, "if done right ... would speed up the deployment of energy sources without weakening environmental standards."

Regarding the role of government in tackling environmental issues, Anderson stressed the importance of the Catholic social teaching principle of subsidiarity, which holds that larger social institutions, such as federal and state government, should not overwhelm smaller ones in responding to needs.

"Let's solve problems as locally as possible," he said. "If your neighborhood is dirty, work with your neighbors to clean it."

But Anderson also said people need to "recognize that some environmental issues are a collective action problem. ... Water quality, air pollution, and climate change cannot be solved by a virtuous family, neighborhood, or even a local government. For some problems, we need collaboration and policy at the state, regional, and national level."

And, Brother Jacek and Misleh emphasized, at the spiritual level.

"Our collective complicity in the collapse of much of God’s creation has profound religious and moral implications which we are only beginning to grapple with," Brother Jacek said. "We don’t have the right to undo God’s creation."

"We must all do more to transform our lifestyles, particularly in the U.S., where our per capita carbon emissions are among the highest in the world," Misleh said. "For CatholicClimate Covenant, we remain committed to promoting Catholic teaching on the environment, teaching that goes back to Genesis and includes strong words and warnings about climate change from St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis as well as the U.S. Catholic bishops. We are called to hear and act on both the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth."