WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.620 Welcome to Meteorology Matters. So yesterday 00:00:04.620 --> 00:00:06.700 was quite a day, wasn't it? It was, Earth Day, 00:00:06.820 --> 00:00:10.039 the 55th anniversary. Yeah, 55 years. It's amazing 00:00:10.039 --> 00:00:13.460 to think back to 1970, 20 million Americans out 00:00:13.460 --> 00:00:16.100 demonstrating. Right. And this was before the 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:18.019 big environmental protections we kind of take 00:00:18.019 --> 00:00:20.719 for granted now. Exactly. No environmental protection 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:23.899 agency, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act, 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:26.399 not in the way we know them. And that massive 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:29.100 public movement, that first Earth Day, it actually 00:00:29.100 --> 00:00:31.879 led directly to the EPA being created later that 00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:34.679 very year. It really shows the power of collective 00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:36.920 voice, I think, which kind of sets the stage 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:39.119 for what we want to talk about today on Meteorology 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:41.600 Matters. Right. Looking at the current environmental 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:43.880 policy landscape, specifically under the Trump 00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:45.880 administration. Yeah, and contrasting it with 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:48.740 those original Earth Day principles and, well... 00:00:48.490 --> 00:00:50.609 the direction things have been heading for decades. 00:00:50.969 --> 00:00:53.609 It's quite a shift. It is. The focus seems very 00:00:53.609 --> 00:00:56.310 much on energy production now, perhaps, over 00:00:56.310 --> 00:00:59.630 those protections. Let's dig into that. The administration's 00:00:59.630 --> 00:01:02.450 goal, stated as unleashing American energy, seems 00:01:02.450 --> 00:01:05.629 central. And that's involved actively dismantling 00:01:05.629 --> 00:01:09.079 regulations that they see as well. burdensome 00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:11.299 for fuel producers. Which, not surprisingly, 00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:13.519 has led to lawsuits from conservation groups 00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:16.079 trying to keep those regulations in place. Absolutely. 00:01:16.359 --> 00:01:18.680 And part of that regulatory picture, there are 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:21.920 reports the EPA is preparing to possibly eliminate 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:24.439 the need for polluters to report their greenhouse 00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:27.000 gas emissions. Wow. Eliminate reporting. That 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:29.959 seems fundamental to tracking progress, or lack 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:32.400 thereof. It does. How do you manage what you're 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:35.310 not measuring, right? Then there was the proclamation 00:01:35.310 --> 00:01:37.750 giving coal plants a break. Oh, yeah, the two 00:01:37.750 --> 00:01:41.090 -year exemption exactly from tougher air pollution 00:01:41.090 --> 00:01:43.689 standards the administration framed it as necessary 00:01:43.689 --> 00:01:47.730 for energy reliability and National security 00:01:47.730 --> 00:01:49.670 reliability is often the argument used isn't 00:01:49.670 --> 00:01:51.510 it? But you have to weigh that against the air 00:01:51.510 --> 00:01:53.769 quality impact definitely and it goes beyond 00:01:53.769 --> 00:01:56.810 just exemptions reports suggest a much wider 00:01:56.810 --> 00:01:59.349 Dismantling is happening. You mean federal offices. 00:01:59.349 --> 00:02:02.530 Yeah Offices overseeing clean air, drinking water, 00:02:02.769 --> 00:02:05.129 our national parks, forests, conservation efforts. 00:02:05.629 --> 00:02:07.849 Climate smart farming, environmental justice. 00:02:08.710 --> 00:02:10.810 It sounds like a pretty broad sweep. It really 00:02:10.810 --> 00:02:13.889 does. And if these reports are accurate, it raises 00:02:13.889 --> 00:02:16.030 big questions about the government's ability 00:02:16.030 --> 00:02:18.189 to actually oversee these areas effectively. 00:02:18.770 --> 00:02:21.590 And tied into that are the reported mass layoffs. 00:02:22.129 --> 00:02:23.949 We're hearing about agencies like the National 00:02:23.949 --> 00:02:27.039 Weather Service, FEMA. the EPA itself, the Forest 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:29.199 Service. Losing experienced staff like that, 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:31.039 I mean, the institutional knowledge is huge. 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:33.020 It could really impact how these agencies function 00:02:33.020 --> 00:02:35.960 day to day and in emergencies. So organizational 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:39.919 changes, staff cuts. What about the rules themselves? 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:43.319 Well, reports also point to slashing regulatory 00:02:43.319 --> 00:02:46.379 standards for fossil fuels, petrochemical plants, 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:49.659 mining. Basically, polluting industry is potentially 00:02:49.659 --> 00:02:52.400 facing fewer hurdles. Which could mean, well, 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:54.930 more pollution. Potentially. That's the concern, 00:02:55.009 --> 00:02:56.569 certainly. And then there's talk about going 00:02:56.569 --> 00:02:59.210 after the nonprofits, too. How so? There was 00:02:59.210 --> 00:03:01.889 a rumor, at least, a potential executive order 00:03:01.889 --> 00:03:04.770 to remove the tax -exempt status for some climate 00:03:04.770 --> 00:03:06.530 advocacy groups. That would hit their funding 00:03:06.530 --> 00:03:09.129 hard. It could seriously hinder their ability 00:03:09.129 --> 00:03:12.210 to operate. And alongside that, a push for a 00:03:12.210 --> 00:03:15.389 budget reconciliation bill. To do what? To cancel 00:03:15.389 --> 00:03:18.050 billions in grants from the previous administration. 00:03:18.629 --> 00:03:21.030 Funds meant for clean energy and environmental 00:03:21.030 --> 00:03:24.020 protection projects. OK, so that's a lot of action 00:03:24.020 --> 00:03:26.520 on the administration side. What's the response 00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:28.740 been like? You mentioned lawsuits earlier. Right. 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:31.259 That seems to be a major avenue for pushback, 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:34.199 challenging the legality of the layoffs, the 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:36.819 funding suspensions, even things like removing 00:03:36.819 --> 00:03:39.120 climate change information from government websites. 00:03:39.300 --> 00:03:41.219 Has there been much street protest like that 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:44.159 original Earth Day? You know, observers noted 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:47.580 that maybe initially the large scale street resistance 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:51.430 seemed a bit underwhelming. Any idea why? Well, 00:03:51.849 --> 00:03:53.789 speculation includes maybe just the sheer scale 00:03:53.789 --> 00:03:56.669 and speed of the changes, people feeling overwhelmed, 00:03:57.250 --> 00:03:59.669 perhaps some groups trying to remain apolitical, 00:03:59.750 --> 00:04:02.129 and maybe just general protest fatigue after 00:04:02.129 --> 00:04:04.469 several intense years. That makes sense. But 00:04:04.469 --> 00:04:07.270 is that changing? It seems so. We saw reports 00:04:07.270 --> 00:04:09.969 of increased mobilization recently, these all 00:04:09.969 --> 00:04:12.090 out on Earth Day actions. What do those involve? 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:14.819 Environmental groups joining up with pro -democracy 00:04:14.819 --> 00:04:18.279 groups, their message seems to be about the fundamental 00:04:18.279 --> 00:04:21.100 right to live free and healthy lives, connecting 00:04:21.100 --> 00:04:23.759 those two ideas. Interesting link. Any specific 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:26.350 examples? Yeah, in New York, there was a hands 00:04:26.350 --> 00:04:29.629 -off migrants march. They explicitly linked migrant 00:04:29.629 --> 00:04:32.389 justice issues with concerns about fossil fuels, 00:04:32.930 --> 00:04:35.350 arguing both relate to displacement and hardship. 00:04:35.750 --> 00:04:37.329 OK, so drawing connections between different 00:04:37.329 --> 00:04:40.550 issues. Exactly. And in Milwaukee, a stop the 00:04:40.550 --> 00:04:43.670 cuts march protested reductions not just in environmental 00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:46.689 and climate funding, but also health care, education, 00:04:47.250 --> 00:04:49.449 seeing it all as interconnected. Right. And I 00:04:49.449 --> 00:04:52.250 saw something about a planned protest targeting 00:04:52.250 --> 00:04:55.129 James Murdoch. Yeah. Yeah, the Planet Overprofit 00:04:55.129 --> 00:04:58.370 and Hashtag Tesla Takedown Coalition. They're 00:04:58.370 --> 00:05:00.449 reportedly focusing on pollution allegations 00:05:00.449 --> 00:05:03.850 against Tesla and framing the Trump -Musk relationship 00:05:03.850 --> 00:05:06.189 as a threat. Speaking of New York, the city controller 00:05:06.189 --> 00:05:08.629 Brad Lander seemed pretty vocal on Earth Day. 00:05:08.769 --> 00:05:11.629 He was. He directly condemned the rollbacks and 00:05:11.629 --> 00:05:15.180 pointed to specific impacts on the city. reported 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:18.180 cuts to climate infrastructure funding, specifically 00:05:18.180 --> 00:05:21.060 mentioning FEMA apparently canceling the BRIC 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:23.579 program that's building resilient infrastructure 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:25.959 and communities. And BRIC funding was important 00:05:25.959 --> 00:05:29.019 for New York City. Hugely important. It was earmarked 00:05:29.019 --> 00:05:31.740 for critical flood protection projects, which, 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:34.779 for a coastal city like New York, is vital with 00:05:34.779 --> 00:05:37.639 rising sea levels. Wow. What else did he mention? 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:40.860 He also highlighted the reported halt of a major 00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:43.540 offshore wind farm project that was supposed 00:05:43.540 --> 00:05:45.660 to power hundreds of thousands of homes with 00:05:45.660 --> 00:05:48.240 clean energy. So hitting renewable energy goals, 00:05:48.459 --> 00:05:51.220 too. And impacting related port development jobs. 00:05:51.720 --> 00:05:53.579 Plus, he mentioned layoffs at the Department 00:05:53.579 --> 00:05:56.540 of General Services impacting lye heat. Lye heat. 00:05:56.600 --> 00:05:58.860 That's the energy assistance program for low 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:01.079 -income households, right? Exactly. Helps people 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:03.019 afford heating and cooling, so cuts there could 00:06:03.019 --> 00:06:05.120 really hurt vulnerable New Yorkers, especially 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:08.139 with more extreme weather. So Landers highlighting 00:06:08.139 --> 00:06:11.000 local impacts. Is he doing anything proactively? 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.139 Yes. He announced he's pushing the asset managers 00:06:14.139 --> 00:06:16.639 who handle the city's retirement funds harder 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:19.740 on climate, demanding credible net zero plans. 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:21.459 And he actually threatened to put their contracts 00:06:21.459 --> 00:06:23.459 out to bid if their plans aren't good enough, 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:26.170 using the city's financial clout. That's significant. 00:06:26.509 --> 00:06:28.689 And didn't he also bring up Tesla again? He did. 00:06:29.029 --> 00:06:31.410 He reportedly renewed his call for litigation 00:06:31.410 --> 00:06:34.410 against Tesla, expressing concern that Elon Musk's 00:06:34.410 --> 00:06:38.050 focus on other ventures like DOGE could negatively 00:06:38.050 --> 00:06:40.550 impact Tesla's performance and, by extension, 00:06:40.750 --> 00:06:42.930 the city's climate goals, given their pension 00:06:42.930 --> 00:06:45.790 fund investments. OK, so pressure from multiple 00:06:45.790 --> 00:06:48.009 angles there. Yeah. Stepping back to the bigger 00:06:48.009 --> 00:06:52.629 picture, how are observers framing this overall 00:06:52.629 --> 00:06:55.480 direction? Many are calling it a war on the planet, 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:58.920 essentially. An attempt to undo much of the environmental 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:01.480 progress made since that first Earth Day, potentially 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:04.100 leading to, well, more pollution and ecological 00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:06.860 damage. And we heard reports about the EPA administrator's 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:09.639 plans. Right. Pledging to dissolve the agency's 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:12.480 scientific research office, cut staff significantly, 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:15.759 undo numerous regulations. It's quite a list. 00:07:15.879 --> 00:07:17.899 Which really undermines the science -based approach 00:07:17.899 --> 00:07:20.500 to policy, doesn't it? Correctly so. And of course, 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:22.300 there was the withdrawal from the Paris Climate 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:24.980 Accord. A huge international step. And efforts 00:07:24.980 --> 00:07:27.000 reported to get around the Supreme Court decision 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:29.939 that allows the EPA to limit carbon dioxide emissions, 00:07:30.660 --> 00:07:32.980 plus canceling clean energy incentives and, as 00:07:32.980 --> 00:07:35.480 we mentioned, that reported desire to let polluters 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:38.160 skip emissions reporting. It paints a picture 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:41.800 of really trying to remove climate considerations 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:44.410 from policy. That seems to be the direction. 00:07:44.670 --> 00:07:47.089 We even heard about a leading climate scientist 00:07:47.089 --> 00:07:49.290 who actually moved to New Zealand because of 00:07:49.290 --> 00:07:51.870 the administration's stance. Really? Left the 00:07:51.870 --> 00:07:54.550 country? Yeah. And warned that other researchers 00:07:54.550 --> 00:07:57.649 might follow. He stressed how serious exiting 00:07:57.649 --> 00:08:00.189 the Paris agreement was, saying the U .S. can't 00:08:00.189 --> 00:08:02.949 just opt out without major consequences, and 00:08:02.949 --> 00:08:05.110 that there's an ethical responsibility to lead. 00:08:05.329 --> 00:08:07.529 What does the public think about all this? Any 00:08:07.529 --> 00:08:10.199 sense of that? Well, one survey reportedly found 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:12.839 that over half of Americans actually oppose this 00:08:12.839 --> 00:08:15.740 reversal on climate leadership, including Republicans. 00:08:16.100 --> 00:08:17.879 Apparently, younger Republicans showed notable 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:20.500 concern. The perception seems to be growing that 00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:22.819 these rollbacks could threaten jobs, especially 00:08:22.819 --> 00:08:25.500 in clean energy, plus public health and the environment 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:29.079 generally, and U .S. leadership. OK, so potentially 00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:32.059 a gap between policy direction and public opinion 00:08:32.059 --> 00:08:34.879 there. Now, there was one more area of concern 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:38.740 mentioned. International aid. Yes, very concerning 00:08:38.740 --> 00:08:42.360 reports about the cancellation of USAID and its 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:44.399 international conservation programs. What kind 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:46.360 of programs are we talking about? Things like 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:49.299 protecting endangered species, fighting poaching, 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:52.759 illegal fishing, providing clean water and sanitation 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:55.379 in developing countries. Really vital work. And 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:57.730 the impact of cutting that. Potentially devastating 00:08:57.730 --> 00:09:00.289 for those efforts. Yeah. But it gets even more 00:09:00.289 --> 00:09:03.110 immediate and tragic. How so? There are alarming 00:09:03.110 --> 00:09:06.909 reports about cuts to emergency food aid, specifically 00:09:06.909 --> 00:09:09.669 aid for starving children in countries like Bangladesh 00:09:09.669 --> 00:09:11.950 and Somalia. Emergency food aid. You mean like 00:09:11.950 --> 00:09:14.210 therapeutic food. Exactly. Life -saving stuff 00:09:14.210 --> 00:09:17.210 like that special peanut based. Apparently, despite 00:09:17.210 --> 00:09:20.090 some initial focus on the issue, the administration's 00:09:20.090 --> 00:09:22.889 actions have disrupted the entire delivery pipeline. 00:09:23.049 --> 00:09:25.210 So the food isn't getting there. Reports say 00:09:25.210 --> 00:09:27.169 shipments of this critical aid are literally 00:09:27.169 --> 00:09:29.629 stuck here in the U .S. And for children suffering 00:09:29.629 --> 00:09:32.889 severe malnutrition, delays like that. While 00:09:32.889 --> 00:09:36.129 the consequences can be fatal very quickly. That's 00:09:36.129 --> 00:09:38.370 incredibly grim. It puts a very human face on 00:09:38.370 --> 00:09:40.970 these policy decisions. It really does. It shows 00:09:40.970 --> 00:09:43.090 how decisions made in Washington can have life 00:09:43.090 --> 00:09:45.289 or death consequences thousands of miles away. 00:09:45.490 --> 00:09:48.230 So wrapping this up, reflecting on that 55th 00:09:48.230 --> 00:09:51.289 anniversary of Earth Day yesterday, the contrast 00:09:51.289 --> 00:09:54.460 is just unavoidable, isn't it? Stark, you had 00:09:54.460 --> 00:09:56.559 this moment that sparked major environmental 00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:59.919 protections and now a very different direction 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:02.379 being reported. With serious concerns being raised 00:10:02.379 --> 00:10:05.679 about the long -term impact on, well, everything, 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:08.299 our environment, public health, our international 00:10:08.299 --> 00:10:10.659 standing, and as we just heard, even the most 00:10:10.659 --> 00:10:13.360 vulnerable populations globally. It's a pivotal 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:16.299 moment, it feels like, forcing a hard look at 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:18.419 the kind of future these choices might lead to. 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:20.759 Absolutely. Which brings us to a final thought 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:23.190 for you, our listeners. Thinking out the history 00:10:23.190 --> 00:10:25.909 that first Earth Day and everything we've discussed 00:10:25.909 --> 00:10:29.809 today on meteorology matters What role do you 00:10:29.809 --> 00:10:33.649 see for individual action? For collective mobilization 00:10:33.649 --> 00:10:35.929 in shaping where we go from here on environmental 00:10:35.929 --> 00:10:38.230 policy. It's definitely something worth pondering. 00:10:38.230 --> 00:10:41.519 How does change happen now indeed? Keep thinking. 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:43.840 Keep engaging. And for more discussions like 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:46.200 this, remember you can follow meteorologist Rob 00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:48.779 Jones on Instagram, that's meteorologist. On 00:10:48.779 --> 00:10:51.220 TikTok, it's TV meteorologist. And on YouTube, 00:10:51.500 --> 00:10:53.600 follow Rob Jones Hurricane. You'll also find 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:55.539 the Meteorology Matters podcast playlist there 00:10:55.539 --> 00:10:55.980 on YouTube.