Trump to make widespread changes to Obama climate policies
US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Tuesday which will do away with several key policies from the Obama administration on climate change.
The order will include large scale cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget, as well as the scrapping of the Clean Power Plan, which required states to reduce their carbon emissions.
Further regulations related to the oil and gas industries are to be reviewed.
Trump has consistently said that environmental regulations are unnecessarily harming profits for many companies, and promised to take the US out of the landmark Paris climate change agreement which was agreed in 2015.
A White House spokesperson revealed Trump’s sweeping executive order on Tuesday, saying that it would "serve the environment and increase energy independence at the same time".
The official said that the Trump administration would place importance on core environmental issues such as clean air and water, but the basis for the decision was to protect jobs in the US.
"It is an issue that deserves attention," the official said. "But I think the President has been very clear that he is not going to pursue climate change policies that put the US economy at risk. It is very simple."
At least six executive orders signed off by Barack Obama will be rescinded by the Republican’s administration, and Trump’s spokesperson said that the key to protecting the environment was to encourage a strong economy.
"To the extent that the economy is strong and growing and you have prosperity, that is the best way to protect the environment," the official added.