ABSTRACT
Scholars and activists have long acknowledged that justice is a central concept for climate change politics and action. Accepting and addressing this connection is crucial for developing climate change mitigation and adaptation policies that will alleviate rather than deepen existing inequalities. In this book chapter I argue that Donald Trump not only exemplifies a personal apathy toward the past, present, and future human and non-human victims of climate change, but also that through his political platform as president he encourages and enables an institutionalized apathy – which I refer to as the emotional regime of apathy – via specific actions and decisions that disregard the suffering of those particularly vulnerable in the face of the unfolding climate crisis. I illustrate my argument by discussing the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.
