Trump Picks Climate Change Sceptic And Ally Of Fossil Fuel Industry Scott Pruitt To Head E.P.A.
The US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen a man who doesn’t believe in climate change as the head of the agency which protects our natural environments.
Democrats and environmentalists in the US have already shown their dismay at the Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who is 48 years old, being chosen as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Mr Pruitt is already known as an outspoken critic of Obama’s climate change policies, and is said to be an ally of the fossil fuel industry.
He has even gone so far as to call Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which was created to reduce carbon emissions from power plants, “an unlawful attempt to expand federal bureaucrats’ authority over states’ energy economies in order to shutter coal-fired power plants”.
Whilst the majority of specialist scientists clearly state that carbon emissions from human activity are at the forefront of the world’s rising temperatures, meaning that climate change is highly severe, Pruitt continues to believe that “that debate is far from settled.”
Trump and Pruitt appear to share similar views on climate change, as during a speech on energy in May, Trump pledged to “cancel” the Paris climate deal, which is an agreement negotiated by 195 countries which commits governments to move their economies away from fossil fuels which will reduce carbon emissions, in a huge attempt to contain the global temperature rise.
Although last month, Trump did acknowledge that there was “some connectivity” with human activity and climate change, during a meeting with the New York Times.
However, the news of Pruitt as the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency has caused uproar amongst Democrats and environmentalists. The incoming leader of the Senate Democrats, Chuck Schumer, said, “Attorney General Pruitt’s reluctance to accept the facts or science on climate change couldn’t make him any more out of touch with the American people, and with reality.
“President-elect Trump promised to break the special interests’ grip on Washington, but his nomination of Mr Pruitt – who has a troubling history of advocating on behalf of big oil at the expense of public health – only tightens it.”
Whilst Mr Pruitt’s new position has not yet been formally announced, it was certainly heavily hinted at on Wednesday evening, when Trump’s senior advisor Kellyanne Conway said, “Attorney General Pruitt has great qualifications and a good record… We look forward to the confirmation hearings.”
About The Author
Jess Murray is a wildlife filmmaker and conservation blogger, having recently returned from studying wildlife and conservation in South Africa, she is now striving to spread awareness about the truth behind faux conservation facilities throughout the world. You can follow Jess on Facebook Here
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