What Does Trump's Fuel Economy Mean for the Environment?

Donald Trump recently set out a plan to roll back on the fuel economy standards that the Obama administration previously put into place to make emissions standards stricter, and, in turn, decrease greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Trump’s fuel economy is a more lenient approach which will take apart the clean air act, dismantle environmental groups’ efforts nationwide, and cause public health to plummet. Overall, this change of legislation is going to take our nation backwards in many ways and cause havoc on the environment which is already in major distress. Here are the specific ways in which fuel economy standards will fall and the environment will suffer from Trump’s policy change.

Because of the changes initiated by Trump, it is predicted that by 2035, US transportation emissions will be 11 percent higher than they are today. While the Obama administration had worked with environmental groups to put in place stricter emissions standards, which would lower our transportation emissions as a nation, Trump’s fresh changes will halt those efforts. We will see cars with lower miles per gallon as opposed to any of the best electric vehicles you can buy right now on the road. Gas prices will also be higher, and overall, our transportation emissions will continue to rise.

Previously, countries had begun to follow suit when our federal fuel economy standards had begun to get stricter, more fuel efficient, and environmentally friendly. However, with Trump’s fuel economy, the US will now be behind the curve globally as other countries follow Denmark's lead and continue to progress with better fuel economy standards, and we continue to set ourselves back. This will particularly effect US automakers.

Along with a rise in transportation emissions, Trump's fuel economy would cause US oil consumption to soar by 20 percent because of the continued use of less fuel-efficient cars. These cars use more oil than electric vehicles, and contribute to more greenhouse gas emissions. Trump’s proposal for this more lenient federal fuel economy causes a much bigger effect than most people realize.

In the Obama administration’s fuel economy standards, California was awarded a waiver where the state could create their own emission standards. In this new fuel economy, California loses this waiver. California has even stricter policies than the rest of the nation and many other states followed suit. The new federal fuel economy standards will force California to fall even farther behind because they had made leaps forward from the start.

When it comes to public health, Trump’s fuel economy will violate the Clean Air Act because these lenient policies will allow for increased pollution nationwide. There will be more childhood asthma, more disease, and, in general, more pollution in the air due to this change.

With the new fuel economy, there will undoubtedly be more natural disasters from greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Instead of becoming stricter with our policies and trying to halt the damage we are doing to the environment, we will continue to pollute the environment, cause harm to the air, and allow global warming to continue.

The Environmental Protection Agency will see serious ramifications because of this new fuel economy. Instead of protecting the environment, the Trump proposal will make policies lenient and Americans will consume more oil. Americans, as a result, will also produce more carbon. It is predicted that Americans will produce up to two times the amount of carbon by 2025.

Trump’s fuel economy is going to cost many Americans a lot more money at the pump in the long run because the Obama administration’s standards involved more fuel efficient and electric cars. These cars would end up saving many people a lot of money on gas. Unfortunately, because of these setbacks, gas prices will continue to rise as companies fight for oil, and Americans will continue to pay more and more for gas on their vehicles with high miles per gallon.

Car companies will feel the effect of Trump’s economic shift significantly as the electric vehicle market will be halted. If fuel economy regulations are not stricter, people will continue to drive vehicles with low miles per gallon and they will not be incentivized to buy electric vehicles. This will negatively affect the business of automakers worldwide.

Trump’s fuel economy will cause overall health and quality of life to decline significantly because the air will be less clean, gas prices will be higher, and the economy will be less regulated by the federal government. These factors will cause disarray, and, in general, our planet in peril will continue its downward spiral. The Obama administration was making moves towards a better life for us all, and now we are taking steps backwards because of these new regulations.

We must work together to fight against these new policies. We must show that we care about our environment and about the fuel economy. We need stricter transportation emissions standards to have better lives for our children and save money in the long run as well. Donald Trump thought he was being helpful by making these policies more lenient and allowing Americans to be lazy with our vehicles and our carbon footprints. He doesn’t take our treatment of the environment seriously, but this is not the time for games. Our environment is in danger, and we must act before it’s too late. Even without policies in place, you can do your part to help the environment every day. Be aware of how you may be contributing, and try to do better.