“Trump 2.0 is going to get twice the fight from the protectors of our planet, wildlife and basic human rights,” said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’ve battled Trump from the border wall to the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and in many cases we’ve won. This country’s bedrock environmental laws stand strong. We’re more prepared than ever to block the disastrous Trump policies we know are coming.”
For example, the Center said it will resist Trump’s plan to “drill, drill, drill” and his efforts to “fulfill promises to the oil industry to reverse dozens of federal measures that protect public lands, imperiled wildlife and human health.”
“It’s going to take a few more rounds in the ring, but we’re confident that Trump’s greed, bigotry, misogyny, his anti-democratic zealotry, all will be defeated,” said Suckling. “Our fight is about freedom. We won’t rest until people across this country have agency over their own bodies, marginalized communities are free from attack, and every imperiled animal is free to flourish.”
With Trump set to take office in January 2025, the Center said it is calling on the Biden administration to “safeguard as many environmental protections as possible” in the coming weeks.
As United Nations climate talks get underway in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Center and allies urged President Joe Biden to deliver “robust climate targets.” In addition, the Center pressed the Biden administration to reject fossil fuel expansion ahead of Trump taking office by halting projects like the behemoth CP2 liquified natural gas export facility.
Other groups also vowed resistance to Trump’s anti-environmental policies.
In response to the election of Donald Trump, Elizabeth Bast, Oil Change International Executive Director made the following statement:
“Although millions of Americans voted to reject Trump’s dangerous agenda, we face another four years of a Trump presidency. Trump has promised to double down on oil and gas production, accelerating climate catastrophe while continuing to enable violence against vulnerable communities – from environmental defenders to Palestinians facing genocide. His policies will compound environmental racism and human rights abuses, with Black, Brown, Indigenous and frontline communities in the US and around the world bearing the heaviest burden.
“We’ve been here before and we know that our movement’s collective power stands ready to protect our communities, our climate, and stand for justice. We will adjust our strategies and our tactics, but we stand strong in our fight for a just and fossil-free future. We call on our allies, both in the United States and around the world, to keep pushing for justice, for climate action, and an end to fossil fuels.
“Movements for change have won important victories under the toughest conditions. It would take more than a Trump presidency to change that. Every pipeline, every fossil fuel export terminal, and every fracking well we can stop matters. Together we will keep fighting for climate justice, for social justice, and to protect our communities.”
Also in response to the election of Donald Trump, Oil Change International United States Program Manager Collin Rees made the following statement:
“In his final months in office, President Biden has the opportunity to secure his climate legacy by taking bold action to phase out fossil fuels and protect our climate and communities. We are calling on Biden to immediately end fossil fuel expansion, make permanent the pause on new LNG exports, shut down the disastrous Dakota Access Pipeline, and fulfill the US’s commitment to stop financing international fossil fuel projects.
“Biden must seize his final moment at COP29 in Azerbaijan this November to cement real climate action before Trump takes office. After pledging to move away from fossil fuels at COP28, Biden needs to deliver by championing a bold new $1 trillion annual climate finance package and putting forth a plan for a fast, fair, forever, funded, fossil fuel phase out. This funding will transform last year’s fossil fuel promises into genuine support for adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage – but only if Biden acts now.
“The clock is ticking – for the Biden administration and our planet. What Biden does now will determine whether he’ll be remembered as the leader who did his utmost to limit the Trump administration’s damage and keep the world from hurtling towards climate chaos.”
Diana Vazquez Ballesteros, Co-Executive Director and Denise Glaze, Co-Executive Director, of the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) also responded to the Trump victory, calling Trump “an aspiring fascist” in a statement:
“Donald Trump has been re-elected. Amid the many emotions this statement evokes, we bravely face this dangerous new reality with clear eyes: Trump is an aspiring fascist with a disastrous environmental and human rights record. There is no doubt that his administration will try its best to make the lives of our community members materially worse.
“But as we process our grief and plan for the future, we are called to remind one another that together we can fight back. Just as powerfully as we always have. During Trump’s last term, CA environmental justice communities’ determination and grit culminated in historic environmental justice protections and the election of more progressives to office at the local, state, and federal level than ever before. We are braced to meet that challenge once again.
“CEJA is doubling down on our unwavering commitment to justice in the face of the threats posed by another Trump administration. The billionaires and industrialists who funded this election are trying to take our power, and we will not give it up. We will not bury our heads in the sand and pretend this is business as usual. It’s time for a real progressive platform built by the people.
“We know that those closest to problems are those closest to solutions. The only way to build an environmentally just future is through amplifying our greatest assets: the wisdom and power of our communities. And during this election, we saw a flood of support for progressive candidates and measures at the local level, and strong showings from CEJA-endorsed candidates for the state legislature. Environmental justice communities in California have spent generations building power and grabbing more seats at the table. We will not stand down, and they will not kick us out.
“The call to action now, perhaps more than ever before, is to deeply engage in organizing our communities and strengthening the movement for democracy and justice. Take time to volunteer. Connect with your neighbors. Don’t let despair win. Stand in your power. Please also keep an eye on CEJA’s updates as we share opportunities to get more involved in direct action and healing spaces with our members and partners.”
Sejal Choksi-Chugh, Executive Director of the San Francisco Baykeeper, described the day after the election as a “bleak day” for the bay and the nation:
“With Trump officially heading back to the White House, we're bracing for another four years of chaos and assaults on the rule of law, the environment, and climate justice.
“I know many of us are scared about what the future holds. I'm right there with you. And I want you to know that Baykeeper will be on your side for the coming four years, as we have been when past administrations have prioritized an anti-environmental agenda.
“It's not going to be easy. Trump's playbook, Project 2025, includes plans to gut environmental regulations like the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and environmental justice protections. It will accelerate destructive coal mining and oil drilling, hand over scientific evaluation to dirty industries, and make it easier for corporate polluters to dump chemicals into our waters. At the same time, we expect the Supreme Court and a new Senate majority to rubber stamp these dangerous policies.
“One good thing: Baykeeper's scientists and attorneys are ready for what's coming.
“Thanks to you, we spent Trump's first term fighting back. We challenged his administration's harmful policies on pollution and bad science on water policy. We threw up roadblocks to their attempts to expand toxic fossil fuel operations, hand over California's fresh water to industrial agriculture, and decimate fish populations. And we stopped their plan to pave over 1400 acres of wetlands in the South Bay.
“This time, we're ready to fight from day one.”
In a message emailed to supporters this morning, Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, didn’t mince words about the significance of last night’s election results:
“There’s no sugarcoating it. Last night’s election results were disheartening and scary. Next year, we’ll be living under a second Trump administration and all that it brings. Last night, I was sad and dejected. Today, I’m ready to fight back.
“During the campaign, Trump and his allies made it clear that they intend an all-out assault on civil rights, environmental protections, and people who disagree with him. We can expect four years of chaos, corporate cronyism, and an assault on our freedoms.
“We still don’t know the outcome in the House – it’s essential that all votes are counted.
“Either way, we’ve seen this playbook before. We know what it takes to win, and we’re prepared to fight — from the streets to the courts to the halls of Congress — while advancing protections for our food, water, and climate at the state level.
“We can’t let Trump and his allies succeed. Together, we’ll fight Trump’s actions from day one, while projecting a bold vision on food, water, and climate that speaks to people’s basic needs.”
In a similar vein, the Sierra Club, in an email to supporters, stated, “There's no sugarcoating this. A second Trump presidency will be hard and dangerous. But we are not powerless. As we grieve, we also recommit to fighting to protect our communities and our future, to do everything we can to block Trump and his extreme agenda, and to defend and build on the progress we've made. We will be a force of nature.”
“We must again stand together to fight back.
“While pundits will spend the coming days and weeks talking about what happened last night, I want to make one thing clear: the movement for a safe and livable future, for a world where all our communities have clean air and water, and for good green jobs that support our families remains overwhelmingly popular. The Sierra Club is part of a massive, nationwide movement, and we're still marching forward.”
Here in California, it couldn’t be a worse time for fish, water and the environment. Four runs of Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other species are in imminent risk of extinction, due to the export of massive amounts of water to corporate agribusiness and other factors. A Big Ag-friendly Trump administration will only make the prospects for recovery of the state’s fish populations even worse.
As I receive more responses to Trump’s victory last night, I will post them here.
