In a sweeping and regressive executive order on energy, The National Farmers Union says President Donald Trump reversed years of progress in the U.S.-led fight against climate change. The order dismantles Obama-era policies that NFU says prepare the United States to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says the order “sends a very clear message to Americans and the rest of the world that our country will not lead the global effort to curtail climate change.” Trump’s executive order rescinds more than half a dozen federal regulations and guidance that aid in making the U.S. food system more climate resilient, according to NFU. This includes an August 2016 White House guidance for federal agencies to consider climate change in environmental reviews and a November 2013 order instructing the federal government to prepare for the impacts of climate change. Johnson says the Obama-era climate policies “created a path of sustainability” for farmers dealing with climate change by curbing carbon emissions that trap heat and change the climate.
