Since the day U.S. President Donald Trump took office, his administration has relentlessly pursued an agenda that puts the profits of his billionaire allies above the well-being of the American people and our environment.

Trump’s strategy seems clear: Do so much damage so quickly that no one can focus on one issue for long before something else draws attention away.

Yet Earth Day reminds us that our public lands, wildlife and, climate are priorities among the flurry of broad and harmful executive actions.

The latest in Trump’s onslaught of attacks on our environmental protections came just days ago with a proposed rule change on endangered species.

Trump wants to gut the very core of these protections: preserving crucial wildlife habitat, even though habitat destruction is the primary driver toward extinction for most animals. Instead, Trump would limit what it means to “harm” endangered species to killing or hunting animals directly.

Endangered species rollbacks are just one of far too many Trump orders and actions that chip away at hard-fought protections for people and the planet.

If Trump gets his way, logging, mining, drilling, developing, or polluting the lands where animals live or breed wouldn’t be considered “harm” to imperiled wildlife. With such reckless action, we could lose endangered species like grizzly bears entirely, while species that have bounced back because of these protections—including bald eagles—could head back toward extinction again. It’s just not possible to protect animals and plants from extinction without protecting their natural home.

This comes after Trump already cut funds to life-saving international elephant and rhino conservation programs and fired thousands of workers across federal agencies who ensure endangered species are protected throughout the country.

Endangered species rollbacks are just one of far too many Trump orders and actions that chip away at hard-fought protections for people and the planet.

Trump’s attacks on science and efforts to tackle climate change began on day one of his presidency, when he moved to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris agreement, an international treaty to limit climate-warming emissions.

Trump escalated his war on science with a plan to defund crucial NASA research and climate science. Trump forced the removal of government websites that map climate, pollution, and offer environmental justice resources.

Then Trump took steps to revoke the government’s basis for tackling climate change, a finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and the environment.

Without leadership from the White House, we will have to rely on state leaders to take action on climate change.

Trump’s greed is on full display with his efforts to expand and prioritize

© Common Dreams