A LEADING REPUBLICAN has said she fears the damage incoming US President Donald Trump could do to the environment.

Christine Todd Whitman, who served as head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under George W Bush, accused Trump of ignoring science when it comes to climate change.

In a BBC 4 documentary about Trump’s likely policies, Todd Whitman said the US needs to protect the planet while promoting business.

“I find it very worrisome that there seems to be a disdain for the science on protecting the environment.

“I worry terribly for the future of my family and families around the world because Mother Nature has never observed geopolitical boundaries and what one country does really does affect another country.

To walk away from something where you have 97% of scientists saying this is occurring and people have an impact on it … It’s gotten to the point where we’ve got to try to slow it down if we’re going to survive it.

Christine Todd Whitman Charlie Neibergall AP / Press Association Images Charlie Neibergall AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

“Conservation is inherently conservative. I hope to be proven wrong by Mr Trump but you have so many multi-millionaires from the oil industry in his cabinet.

“We want to have power and be energy independent but the problem is doing it in a balanced way to protect health and the environment. But from Trump’s view it doesn’t seem to enter the equation,” she said.

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