In a complete reversal of Obama Administration moves, the Trump administration is planning to completely remove “Climate Change” from a list of security threats facing the United States. In 2015, President Obama released his National Security Strategy, in which he put Climate Change at the very top of the list of security threats facing the United States. “In some ways, [climate change] is akin to the problem of terrorism and ISIL,” Obama said at climate talks in Paris in 2015. During another address at the time of the Strategy release, Obama said “Today, there is no greater threat to our planet than climate change.”
Many in the government and military disagreed with that sentiment, saying there were geopolitical threats far more pressing than climate change theories. One adamant voice in 2015 was then-candidate Donald Trump, who balked at the idea. At a South Carolina campaign stop, Trump said, “So Obama’s always talking about the global warming, that global warming is our biggest and most dangerous problem, OK? No, no, think of it. I mean, even if you’re a believer in global warming, ISIS is a big problem, Russia’s a problem, China’s a problem. We’ve got a lot of problems. By the way, the maniac in North Korea is a problem. He actually has nuclear weapons, right? That’s a problem.”
In a draft of the new 2018 National Security Strategy being shared ahead of Monday’s official release, Trump’s administration policy will emphasize national security and economic growth over climate change. “North Korea seeks the capability to kill millions of Americans with nuclear weapons. Iran supports terrorist groups and openly calls for our destruction. Jihadist terrorist organizations such as ISIS and al Qaeda are determined to attack the United States and radicalize Americans with their hateful ideology. States and non-state actors undermine social order with drug and human trafficking networks, which drive violent crimes and cause thousands of American deaths each year,” says the draft policy document. It adds, “Strengthening control over our borders and immigration system is central to national security, economic prosperity, and the rule of law. Terrorists, drug traffickers, and criminal cartels exploit porous borders and threaten U.S. security and public safety. These actors adapt quickly to outpace our defenses.”
While Climate Change won’t be on the list of imminent security threats for the US, the draft report does discuss the environment and air pollution. The draft report says, “The United States will remain a global leader in reducing traditional pollution, as well as greenhouse gases, while growing its economy. This achievement, which can serve as model to other countries, flows from innovation, technology breakthroughs, and energy efficiency gains –not from onerous regulation.”
At a press conference earlier in the week, President Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with regulations that he believes are a drag on prosperity in the country. “One of the very first actions of my administration was to impose a two-for-one rule on new federal regulations. We ordered that for every one new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated. You heard me say that on the campaign, many, many times. As a result, the never-ending growth of red tape in America has come to a sudden, screeching, and beautiful halt!”, said President Trump. “Earlier this year, we set a target of adding zero new regulatory costs onto the American economy. Today, I am proud to announce we beat our goal by a lot! Instead of adding costs, as so many others have done, and other countries are doing, and it is hurting them. For the first time in decades, we achieved regulatory savings! Hasn’t happened in many decades. Within the first eleven months, we canceled or delayed over 1,500 planned regulatory actions, more than any previous president, by far,” he said. “And you see the results, when you look at the stock market, the results of companies, and when you see companies coming back into our country. Instead of eliminating two old regulations for every one new regulation, we have eliminated twenty two!”, he said. “Twenty two, that’s a big difference,” he added. “We aimed for 2 for 1, and in 2017, we hit 22-1.”
