PSR Counters Trump's Attack on Climate Change Protections

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Jeff Carter, 202-667-4260, jcarter@psr.org

Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2017) – Today President Trump issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to roll back protections designed to address climate change and protect communities. Physicians for Social Responsibility Executive Director Jeff Carter released the following statement in response:

"President Trump's abandonment of the Clean Power Plan and the standards that set carbon dioxide emission limits for new power plants is a foolish, reckless decision that will endanger public health, our environment, and our economic prosperity.

"The order also requires government agencies to re-assess the social cost of carbon – an important estimate of the damage caused by climate change – and leaves the door open to abandoning it altogether. But the President may be surprised to learn that ignoring the damage caused by climate change won't actually make the problem go away. Climate change is real, and it has serious health consequences.

"The National Climate Assessment released in 2014 said: 'Climate change threatens human health and well-being in many ways, including impacts from increased extreme weather events, wildfire, decreased air quality, and illnesses transmitted by food, water and diseases carriers such as mosquitoes and ticks.' The World Health Organization estimates climate change will be responsible for about 240,000 deaths per year by 2030.

"The American people do not want the government to ignore the health impacts of climate change. Fifty-nine percent of them maintain that protecting the environment is more important than developing energy from fossil fuel sources. Over seven in 10 favor development of alternative energy versus oil, gas, and coal.

"At a time when action is called for, President Trump has chosen instead to ignore public opinion, abdicate his responsibility, and undermine the health of our kids. He and EPA administrator Scott Pruitt continue to send a clear message to American families: your health simply doesn't matter to us."

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Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) is a scientific and educational organization with approximately 40,000 members and supporters and with chapters throughout the United States. Our mission is to protect human life from the gravest threats to health and survival. Visit us at www.psr.org and follow us on Twitter @psrnational.