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Trump pick says US needs to 'adapt' to climate change

March 5, 2025

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Energy & Environment

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The Big Story

Trump pick says US needs to ‘adapt’ to climate change

President Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office in charge of climate change and air pollution said Wednesday that the U.S. should “adapt to” rather than try to minimize climate change.

Aaron Szabo’s comment came during questions from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) during his confirmation hearing Wednesday.

“What are key climate tipping points that you would watch in your position to try to avoid?” Whitehouse asked.

“I believe that the climate is changing. I believe that it is important for us to adapt to any change, including those that occur with respect to climate,” said Szabo, who, if confirmed, will lead the EPA’s Air and Radiation office.

“Not to mitigate to prevent it, just to adapt to it?” Whitehouse asked.

“I’m currently — and if confirmed — am bound by the laws that Congress has established,” Szabo replied.

Whitehouse then asked him if people are “now on a pathway to climate safety, or do we need to do more to reduce carbon emissions in order to get out of that pathway?”

“I believe that we need to be adapting to all changes, including those to the climate,” Szabo replied.

Read more at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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Quotes of note from President Trump’s joint address

Trump previewed a forthcoming minerals action, saying “later this week, I will also take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the USA.” He did not elaborate.
He also vowed to take on environmental “toxins” saying “our goal is to get toxins out of our environment, poisons out of our food supply and keep our children healthy and strong. However, he has also pledged to take a deregulatory stance and has appointed chemical industry alumni to key roles in his administration.
He said his administration is “working on a gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska,” saying Japan, South Korea and other nations “want to be our partner with investments of trillions of dollars.”

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What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

El Paso Is Going to Turn Wastewater Into Drinking Water. Other Cities Will Soon Follow (Inside Climate News)
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Nuclear Power’s Revival Is Here. What Do You Do With All the Radioactive Waste? (The Wall Street Journal)

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