“The old world is dying,” Antonio Gramsci wrote in 1930, “and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.” Reflecting on that passage, novelist and essayist Amitav Ghosh more recently observed that we are “in a moment of multiple intersecting crises and transitions—of geopolitics, financial structures, and, perhaps most importantly, of environmental and ecological regimes that are slowly but surely pushing the planet towards catastrophe.”

Today’s intersection of monstrous planetary crises has a name and a face: the Trump administration, with fossil fuel interests pulling strings behind the scenes. Rebecca Solnit wrote this month that “the United States is being murdered, and it’s an inside job,” in which “every bureau and function of the federal government is being fatally corrupted or altogether dismantled or disabled.” For more than a year, the news has been burdened with repeated examples of the administration's assault on the government’s ability to protect us, our security and our environment. Many of these constitute concerted attacks on the simple proposition behind the first Earth Day in 1970, “to honor the Earth and the concept of peace.”

Under attack: honoring the Earth

At the end of March, Trump administration officials announced a “reorganization” of the US Forest Service, closing its nine regional offices and at least 57 of its 77 research stations. “It’s just madness,” said biologist Elizabeth Leger, noting that the Forest Service and its hundred and ninety million acres of managed lands have been the source of incredibly valuable long-term research on sustainability, climate, ecosystems and wildfire prevention. Critics understand the administration’s move as a shift towards monetizing public lands and favoring the timber industry over environmental concerns.

The Trump administration has made no secret of its contempt for progress on climate, what it has called the “Green New Scam”—climate security, clean energy, and environmental protection. Its latest annual budget request to Congress, released this month, would further attack each of these–removing billions of dollars from the already-depleted budgets of the EPA, NOAA and FEMA. While Congress may not follow through on all these cuts, the White House is acting now to block what it can, for example holding up grants intended to support NOAA and NIH research on extreme weather and coastal resilience. 

The administration has also threatened to close down the National Center for Atmospheric Research, one of the world’s most critical climate research labs. Scientists, led by University of Washington professor Shuyi Chen, are challenging the closure in federal court. A different federal court has struck down a swath of Trump administration moves to paralyze solar and wind permits; the plan to reorganize the Forest Service will also be challenged in court.

What’s behind all this animosity towards climate and environmental progress? In parallel with its attacks on climate and clean energy, the administration and its congressional allies have been carrying water—or, rather, oil—for the fossil fuel industry. This week, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (the chamber’s #1 lifetime recipient of fossil fuel donations) introduced a bill which would grant the industry broad immunity from lawsuits and state laws seeking to hold them accountable for climate impacts.

Also under attack: the concept of peace

While the Trump administration’s plans and rationale for the war on Iran continue to shift, the control and traffic of fossil fuel resources are obviously center stage. Oil companies have reaped a windfall of some $30 million an hour during the conflict so far. Climate advocate Brian Lee has labeled the conflict “a war on the climate,” writing that “it has increased greenhouse gas emissions and oil prices, while exposing the true costs of fossil fuels.”

Maybe depending so much on fossil fuels is not a good idea

For many international leaders, that true cost is underlining the urgent need to seek alternatives. At least 60 countries have enacted emergency measures on energy in response to the Iran crisis; the UN Climate chief declared that the war shows that doubling down on fossil fuels is “delusional.” The ballooning economic costs of oil are leading many nations to accelerate investment in alternative sources of energy. Asian nations have responded to the Iran crisis by boosting biofuels and fast-tracking development of non-fossil power sources including solar, battery and nuclear. European Union leaders are expected to propose new clean electrification plans, and the topic of clean energy transition is expected to dominate an international summit on fossil fuels taking place this week in Colombia. The chief of the International Energy Agency said that the Iran conflict “will redraw the global energy map… we are not going back to where we were.”

Whales, too, are in trouble.

Global warming from burning fossil fuels is harming marine ecosystems. Vanishing Arctic ice and reduced populations of algae and crustaceans are imposing stress and hunger on gray whales. Nineteen whales have washed up on the west coast of the US so far this year, the latest on the Oregon coast; scientists are not yet sure why. Whales face many human-created harms. Boat collisions have killed many whales feeding in the San Francisco Bay over the years. In response, ports like the Port of Oakland are taking measures to protect whales and the environment by slowing speeds to reduce collisions, while also managing noise and air pollution. At the same time, however, the Trump administration is out-monstering these majestic sea creatures, working to remove Endangered Species Act protections for Rice’s Whales in the Gulf of Mexico, in order to accelerate oil and gas exploration and extraction.

One thing you can do 

The Our Parks campaign is making an effort to stand up for the US Forest Service by pressuring major outdoor gear brands to oppose cuts to public land management. Learn more and get involved at saveusfs.org.