Donald Trump will take office at the worst possible time for climate change

The damage could echo for centuries

Even a four year setback can wreak havoc.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The greatest immediate danger of the upcoming Donald Trump administration is to minorities and women, particularly Muslims and Latinos. With the power of the executive vastly expanded under George W. Bush and Barack Obama, President Trump will be able to ban Muslim entry into the country, and will be able to deport millions and millions of people. A new ban on abortion is probably coming, and perhaps even a ban on gay marriage.

But the greatest danger over the long term is what Trump might do on climate policy. He will take power at an extraordinarily unfortunate moment, right as serious action on climate change is becoming a brutal necessity. It's not necessarily a tipping point that will lead to unavoidable disaster, but the damage inflicted by Trump will echo for centuries to come. Even four years of delay is going to be extraordinarily costly for America and the world — and Trump is likely to do more than that.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.