All Out on Earth Day! Why Americans Are Protesting Against Donald Trump’s Climate Plans

Protestors across the 50 states participated in marches, rallies and clean-up drives against US President Donald Trump. The demonstrations, under the banner “All Out on Earth Day”, were a way to voice the protestors’ stance against the Trump administration’s authoritarianism and their constant/frequent rollbacks on environmental protections.

National and grassroots organisers across Manhattan to Milwaukee and Boston have joined hands with pro-democracy groups to demonstrate against Trump’s take on dismantling of climate policies and the erosion of civil liberties, according to ET.

Trump’s Climate Rollbacks Intensify

In recent developments, as per a report by The Guardian, protestors have accused

Trump of collaborating with his billionaire mega-donor Elon Musk to sideline the planet at the expense of earning profits.

The report further added that since assuming power again on January 20, Trump has rapidly rolled back federal agencies that oversee clean air, drinking water, national parks and forests, conservation, climate smart farming and environmental justice.

Core climate and environmental agencies including the National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Forest Service were also in his radar. These players experienced massive layoffs and funding reductions.

Moreover, regulatory standards for fossil fuels and polluting industries were also slashed to boost production of traditional forms of energy to align with Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) vision.

Amid concerns surrounding an impending announcement around Earth Day by the Trump administration to revoke tax-exempt status of some non-profits who have challenged Trump’s push for oil, gas and coal production, as ET cited, this has raised fears that Trump administration may also take steps to cancel Biden administration’s clean energy investments.

Ironically, this year’s Earth Day official theme is “OUR POWER, OUR PLANET” to underscore the urgent need for people to transition to renewable energy with an aim to triple the output of clean energy by 2030.

Trump administration is pushing US to thrive on the conventional fossil fuels at a time when the world desperately needs clean energy to control the rapidly rising global temperatures, indicated in the Copernicus Climate Change Service, run by the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), which declared 2024 as the hottest year on record.

The report stated that the global average temperature reached 15.10 degrees Celsius i.e., 1.6 notches above the pre-industrial era of 1850-1900. With global climate worsening with every passing day, Earth Day 2025 becomes vital for nations to take strong action.

Earth Day’s Legacy

When the industrial era had reached its peak, industries started releasing smoke and sludge and air pollution became a norm which started being associated with the “smell of prosperity” at the time, especially in America, according to Business Standard.

It was in 1970 when the first Earth Day took place and saw more than 20 million Americans taking part in protests and called for healthier water, air and environment. Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, a US senator and environmentalist and Denis Hayes, a graduate student at Harvard University. They came up with Earth Day to observe a day of protest and education after they witnessed the destruction caused by a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969.

Nelson assisted in planning protests and rallies across the US with Hayes. As a result of the protests, the United States passed laws including the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A reminder of our shared obligation, Earth Day is now recognised in more than 190 nations.