Policies ignore realities of climate change

President Trump has labeled climate change a “hoax” and has issued directives that undermine environmental regulations increasing our reliance on fossil fuels. On his first day in office, Trump withdrew from the international Paris Climate Change Accords that committed member nations to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, he promises to “drill baby, drill.”

The evidence cause by climate change is all too obvious. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), from 1990 to 2010, an annual average of just over 300 Americans died as a result of weather-related events; since 2010, deaths have average over 500 per year. In 2024, there were 568 Americans deaths and $182.7 billion in property damage caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, wild fires, flooding, and other weather-related events. Climate change is also causing worldwide death and destruction. Global temperatures in 2024 were the warmest on record.

In 2025, the U.S. has already experienced a number of climate-related disasters. After eight months of drought, wildfires savaged Los Angeles, killing over thirty people only to be ended by an “atmospheric river” of rain that is causing major flooding. In late-January, states along the Gulf Coast experienced blizzard conditions and record cold temperatures. New Orleans was pummeled with a record 9.5 inches of snow. Incredibly, on Feb. 4, these states experienced a record heat wave, torrential rain, and even tornadoes. Torrential rains, flooding and more than 600 tornadoes since January have caused widespread devastation and deaths throughout the South and Midwest this spring.

Anyone who values human life should be appalled by Trump’s policies on climate change.

Thomas Suhrbur

Glen Ellyn