As Donald Trump took the oath of office for a second time, a wave of dread swept through those who deeply care for our planet’s future.
Throughout his campaign, Trump has pledged to his most devoted supporters that he would prioritize people’s interests over the environment, champion fossil fuel production, and withdraw from vital international climate agreements. His objective? To reduce government spending by streamlining federal operations that will stimulate economic growth.
A long-awaited solace, craved by many.
By the end of Joseph Biden’s presidency, only 41% of Americans were satisfied with the Democratic Party’s economic strategies. Trump, a disgraced businessman who was somehow attached to having an assertive economic agenda, appealed to voters who were eager for swift financial recovery.
The instantaneous economic reform that MAGA voters craved so badly caused them to overlook a crucial reality: the environment often pays the steepest price for unregulated economic expansions. Trump’s campaign promises of deregulating and revitalizing the fossil fuel industry may look on the surface to have immediate economic remedies, but deeply rooted within those same economic policies are years that will be filled with polluted air, disappearing wildlife habitats, and unchecked carbon emissions, accelerants to the already occurring climate chaos.
At this point, there’s nothing we can do. Trump occupies the Oval Office until 2029, so the question then becomes, who will bear the brunt of his economically-fueled environmental degradation policies? Ironically, it’s likely to be some of his most devoted supporters.
The first to face the consequences of Trump’s environmental policies are the hardheaded farmers, who, despite his disastrous first term, refused to turn away from the convicted felon and continue to put their vote towards financial gain.
Farmers
During the 2024 election cycle, farming-dependent counties overwhelmingly supported Trump, with 78% of voters backing him—an 8% increase from his 2020 victory. Farmers in rural states like Nebraska, Kansas, Ohio, and Iowa, were enticed by the president’s plan to reduce agricultural regulations, including environmental protections. Such policies seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel for most farmers, offering the illusion of higher profits, smoother operations, and a momentary breath of freedom. But while this can be true in the short term, the absence of environmental safeguards will soon cast a long, shadowed future over the prosperous land that these farmers manage.
Under Trump, the farmland, once rich with diversity, risks chronic withering under the weight of overuse, especially as highly profitable monocropping becomes the new normal. Farms fortunate enough to have their own water sources could suffer the harshest blow, as these once-pure lifelines for crops and livestock will soon become poisoned by run-off from unchecked fertilizer and pesticide use.
The air, once cleansed by diverse and healthy crop systems, may now be heavy with harmful chemicals. Plants’ once-fresh breath is now suffocating under industrial fumes from machine-based farming. Beneath the soil, the groundwater tables will shrink rapidly as the parched crops demand more water, while ancient aquifers lie dormant on the farm grounds.
Maybe, after all is said and done, the farming industry will finally realize that it has fallen prey to its own unchecked ambition, turning a once thriving farming community into a brittle, dying system—one that cannot feed itself, nor future generations.
Still, the environment remains indifferent, as Mother Nature grows increasingly enraged, seeking retribution beyond the Midwest. Soon, it will reach mid-to-large-sized cities that base their livelihoods on the shoulders of America’s dirty work.
Energy Workers
Regions like West Virginia, Kentucky, and parts of Wyoming were ecstatic to learn of Trump’s promises to restore coal jobs. To do this, Trump knew that he would have to slash regulations on coal power plants and roll back clean energy standards.
This, with everything that Trump does, has its costs.
Whether the hard workers in American coal mines know it or not, the global energy market continues to fancy cheaper, cleaner energy sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass, the real cost savers. Even if Trump were to reduce regulations, the coal industry would still lag to compete with the plummeting costs of renewables. In a 2023 study conducted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), solar power has become 89% cheaper than coal per megawatt hour.
By disregarding the economic prominence of clean energy, Trump is doing coal workers an unfortunate disservice. He’s sneakily stripping these unknowledgeable voters of skills that they should be learning to transition from traditional energy careers to jobs in clean energy. Jobs in solar and wind are among the fastest-growing occupations in the U.S., expected to expand by over 50% this decade.
Despite this, Trump seems to be more interested in the deregulation of coal emissions, which will increase workplace deaths and related illnesses. Trump will put his approval ratings first, as these poor ignorant souls don their tough blue-collar mentality and go thousands of feet underground, being exposed to deadly pollutants like mercury and sulfur dioxide for hours.
After some time, the only thing these coal workers are going to get when Trump has completed his second term, is respiratory infection, mounting medical debt, and an agonizing realization that they were a token used for political gain.
But it doesn’t have to end this way.
Coal workers and farmers still possess the power to reclaim their future and demand this current administration to provide them with the opportunities they deserve while also looking out for our environment. By joining organizations like the National Farmers Union and the Sierra Club, you can amplify your voice in the fight for fair policies and clean energy solutions.
Ruthlessly flood the phones of both Republican and Democratic service members, both on the Hill and in your local government offices. While Trump has managed to gain possession of the House and the Senate, he doesn’t hold absolute power. Be firm in your reminder to U.S. lawmakers that they serve you, not corporate interests or shady political agendas.
This responsibility is not solely dependent on coal workers and farmers though, it’s a duty shared by all of us, renters of Earth’s land, who depend on its well-being for survival. You must act now because, in the end, the Earth will always collect what it is owed, whether we’re suffering from economic instability or not.
About the author
Jaylan Sims, a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Currently, a student at Vanderbilt University, Sims is pursuing a dual major in Communication Studies and Communication of Science and Technology, with a minor in Jewish Studies. Notably, Sims was selected by the university’s Robert Penn Warren Center to participate in the Robert Penn Warren Residential Writing Fellowship. In addition to writing, Sims finds solace in Latin American jazz, podcasts, and nature documentaries.
