Opinion: How Donald Trump can save the planet and make himself look good

To the editor: I am so grateful to The Times Editorial Board for its thoughtful and reasoned opinions regarding President Trump and his administration’s impact on us all. I fear that Trump will be remembered as the leader who failed to save us from ecological disaster. (“Trump hasn’t destroyed the environment — yet. So the fight is on,” editorial, May 15)

However, like you, I think Trump’s legacy could be entirely different if we appealed to his vanity. Trump, the quintessential deal maker, could make a deal with the fossil fuel industry to leave the oil, gas and coal in the ground in return for assistance in re-tooling themselves to develop wind and solar energy solutions. Trump, who props himself up by belittling others, could be urged to out-do President Obama by achieving even bigger and greater reductions in emissions.

If the “Make America Great Again” president could somehow marshal resources to mitigate climate chaos, his legacy would be much more than a slogan.

Robert Taylor, Newport Beach

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