In a whirlwind of activity, President Trump began his second term by signing a series of executive orders aimed squarely at dismantling what I call the “climate-industrial complex.” [emphasis, links added]
This flurry of actions is reminiscent of his first term, marked by bold, often polarizing decisions, but this time, the focus is laser-sharp: unshackling American energy and science policy from the grip of bureaucratic overreach and ideological orthodoxy.
Compared to his predecessors, including President Biden, Trump’s use of executive orders has always been unapologetically direct.
While Biden used executive actions to accelerate climate regulations and embed climate priorities into every federal agency, Trump’s latest orders aim to undo these efforts, exposing what he described as the “weaponization of science and policy.”
Let’s examine each executive order, exploring its content and potential impact on climate science, energy policy, and the broader dismantling of the climate-industrial complex.
1. Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions
This order lays the groundwork by rescinding a wide range of Biden-era executive actions that prioritized climate change over economic and energy concerns.
These include rollbacks on regulations for fossil fuel projects, emissions standards, and the federal government’s expansive climate-related spending.
Impact on Economy: By rescinding these policies, the administration is eliminating unnecessary red tape that stifled domestic energy projects.
Overregulation increased costs for industries, discouraged innovation, and forced reliance on imported energy, all while undermining American competitiveness on the global stage.
For example, the oil and gas industry lost an estimated $87 billion annually due to regulatory delays.
Environmental Reality: Despite their lofty goals, many of the rescinded policies had minimal environmental benefits.
For example, strict emissions standards disproportionately targeted industries already working toward cleaner technologies, while allowing countries with lax environmental laws to dominate markets.
This rollback aligns environmental progress with economic pragmatism, focusing on real results rather than symbolic gestures.
2. Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government
In this sweeping order, Trump targets the bureaucracies that have turned climate change into a quasi-religious mandate.
By redirecting federal agencies away from “mission creep” and partisan agendas, the order aims to restore accountability and neutrality in their operations.
Impact on Economy: Federal agencies have wielded climate mandates as tools to impose costly regulations on businesses, often with little regard for their economic impact.
This order ensures that agencies focus on their core missions instead of engaging in ideological battles, creating a more stable and predictable business environment.
To begin with, unlocking America’s full LNG potential, an industry the Biden administration sought to stifle in its final days, will bring tangible benefits to both American households and the global communities reliant on this affordable and efficient energy source, like my homeland of Poland.
Environmental Reality: Much of the climate-focused funding and research produced by these agencies has been criticized for prioritizing alarmism over actionable solutions.
By ending this politicization, the administration is paving the way for science-driven, practical environmental policy.
Irrational Fear is written by climatologist Dr. Matthew Wielicki and is reader-supported. If you value what you have read here, please consider subscribing and supporting the work that goes into it.
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