Doyle Rice

USA TODAY

The American public could take a direct hit under a rollback of the Clean Power Plan, environmental groups say, from an increase in illnesses to an uptick in natural disasters.

An executive order signed by President Trump on Tuesday mandates a review of the plan, which restricts greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants and was the centerpiece of President Obama's environmental efforts.

“This is an all-out assault on the protections we need to avert climate catastrophe," said Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "It’s a senseless betrayal of our national interests."

The consequences of climate change have reverberated in recent years — from floods to wildfires to drought, said economist Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Without protections from the Clean Power plan, it will only get worse, she said. "American families are seeing the real impacts of climate change on their daily lives. ... The science is clear."