Donald Trump's effort to kill nearly one-third of the federal Environmental Protection Agency's budget, including climate research, and all climate funds to the United Nations leaves no doubt about where we, as a nation, stand.



In the shadow of a madman. How else to describe a President who in one moment says he loves clean water and air, and the next vows "get rid of" the very agency charged with protecting them, "in almost every form"?



Even congressional Republicans and fossil fuel flunky Scott Pruitt, who opposes some of the core missions of the EPA he now runs, think Trump is going too far.

Trump wants to 'drain the swamp' at EPA. Will that hurt N.J.'s swamps?



Pruitt reportedly went to the White House on Wednesday to request a smaller budget cut. What he got was an even bigger one - billions more than he, lead architect of the attack against EPA, or other Republicans ever thought prudent.



It guts the agency, ending programs to lower domestic greenhouse gas emissions, slashing diplomatic efforts to slow climate change and funding for climate research.



Trump's reckless abandonment of the effort to contain climate change comes at a time when public concern about it has reached a national all-time high, according to a new Gallup poll.



A solid majority of Americans believe the effects of climate change are already occurring, and are driven by human activities. Most also believe Trump will do a poor job of protecting the environment.

Advice for Trump from N.J.'s former EPA chief: Phone a scientist



Right on all counts. This is a White House that lifts its talking points straight from ExxonMobil. The international Paris Agreement to tackle climate change is in peril. Trump even wants to get rid of pollution-limiting fuel efficiency standards for cars, at a time when automakers are seeing record profit and sales.



And he's attacking the EPA when it's needed most. Only the feds can protect New Jersey from the smog and soot flowing in here from states to our west, like Pennsylvania and Ohio. We are home to the most high-priority contaminated sites in the nation, and need the EPA to help force cleanups.



We need its standards to help states like ours fortify against storm surges and flooding caused by sea level rise, too, unless we want a repeat of Sandy.



By rejecting the science of climate change, Trump is also sending a dangerous message to the world, making other governments less likely to carry out their pledged emissions cuts.



It's not just about the melting glaciers. The world's largest coral reef system and Australia's natural wonder, The Great Barrier Reef, is dying - yet another big-ticket victim of overheated sea water, caused by climate change.



Scientists warned decades ago that if we kept burning fossil fuels at a frenetic pace, releasing greenhouse gases that warm the ocean, we'd kill off some barrier reefs. But they didn't expect to see this much destruction for at least another 30 years.



It's an international treasure that sustains some of the richest ocean life, but also a lifeline for millions of people in poor countries who depend on reef fish as their biggest source of protein. Not that Trump is concerned with science or sustenance.



During the campaign, he called climate change a Chinese hoax. To the New York Times, he later admitted human activity may indeed contribute. But his actions, as always, speak loudest. Our only hope is that saner minds in Congress prevail.

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