RFK Jr. stirs up MAGA, MAHA and green politics

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s surprising shift from liberal environmental champion to far-right Trump ally raises questions about the growing divide in green advocacy.

Benji Jones reports for Vox.

In short:

Kennedy, a former environmental attorney and NRDC veteran, now leads a faction of far-right environmentalists advocating for clean air, water and soil while rejecting mainstream climate science.
This “para-environmentalism” emphasizes distrust of institutions, with a focus on local issues like pollution and regenerative farming over carbon reduction.
The movement reveals deeper ideological fractures, complicating efforts to unify environmental goals under a Trump administration favoring deregulation.

Key quote:

"The left environmental movement literally got infiltrated and usurped by climate change. They’re so hyperfocused on that that they’re no longer focusing on the environment.”

— Reinette Senum, blogger, former mayor of Nevada City, California and a self-identified MAHA environmentalist

Why this matters:

Kennedy's pivot indicates a larger shift in the environmental movement, and the curious perception by some that left-wing environmentalism has largely abandoned environmental health issues not related to climate change. It's a potent reminder of how environmentalism can be reshaped — and weaponized — by political movements, and begs the question: Where do we go from here as the Trump administration lays out its deregulatory agenda?

In U.S. coal country, black lung surges as federal protections stall

While President Trump is directing hundreds of millions of dollars to coal projects, miners in Appalachia are suffering from a resurgence of black lung disease. But industry pushback has indefinitely delayed federal rules that would reduce miners’ exposure to deadly silica dust.

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RFK Jr. stirs up MAGA, MAHA and green politics

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