On the campaign trail in 2024, Donald Trump distanced himself from Project 2025, or the document formally titled “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,” a policy road map published by the Heritage Foundation with input from dozens of right-wing organizations.
“I have nothing to do with Project 2025,” Trump said in interviews and on social media posts, calling aspects of the plan “abysmal.”
More recently, however, Trump pivoted regarding the way his plans align with the broader conservative agenda. “I don’t disagree with everything in Project 2025,” the President told TIME.
It follows that political watchers on both sides of the aisle now argue that constituents should not be surprised by Trump’s moves since taking the Oval Office, as many of those moves are outlined in Project 2025.
Take the Administration’s stance on climate change. Project 2025’s road map for turning longstanding climate science, policy and actions on their head includes the following steps:
- Eradicate references to “climate change” (also known as global warming);
- Repeal, roll back or block emissions rules and regulations;
- Shrink or dismantle government agencies thought to promote “climate alarmism”;
- Withdraw from international climate agreements;
- Promote fossil-fuel development;
- Openly challenge climate research.
Among the recent decisions Trump made to reverse his country’s course on climate-change actions:
- The President announced previously protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska will soon be open for oil and gas drilling.
- On Day 1 of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and terminating associated international climate commitments.
- The Administration slashed the budget and staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and eliminated its Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
Scientists the world over stand firm in their assertion that global warming is predominantly caused by the human use of fossil fuels, and that this is responsible for an increased frequency and severity of destructive wildfires and weather catastrophes.
What could recent policy moves to undercut climate science mean for insurance?
Among other challenges: Insurance companies and risk management professionals have long used historic location data — including information about past weather events — to price risk and develop mitigation strategies.
To move forward in a world where "climate change" concepts could become less fashionable, it may help to digest the ideas advanced by skeptics. The slideshow above illustrates seven ideas climate-change deniers use to to debunk conventional wisdom regarding global warming.
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