At a Glance

Trump made no mention of human-induced climate change.The president alluded to a coal-industry renaissance that has not happened.

In his first State of the Union address Wednesday, President DonaldTrump opened his speech with remarks about the storms, floods and wildfires the nation endured in 2017,but he failed to mention climate change, which makes those disasters all the more likely each year as Earthwarms.

"We have endured floods and fires and storms," Trump said of the disasters that killed at least 300. "But through it all, we have seen the beauty of America’s soul, and the steel in America’s spine."

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in the U.S., with 16disasters topping $1 million. The total bill for the year, which included hurricanes Harvery, Irma and Maria, reached roughly $306 billion.

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In his address, Trump promised continued support for victims of the hurricanes.

"To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands — everywhere — we are with you, we love you, and we always will pull through together, always," he said.

While Trump did offerwords of comfort to victims of this year's disasters, heomitted any mention of climate change. Scientists have made it clear that human-caused climate change cannot be linked to any single weather event. There is , along with their deadly impacts.

Andrew Steer, head of the World Resources Institute, denounced Trump's speech, noting that the president "repeatedly fails to recognize the mounting threat of climate change."

"His views stand in sharp contrast to leading CEOs, scientists, local officials and people across the country — millions of whom are still recovering from disasters. Aamong leading executives found that natural disasters, extreme weather, climate change and water crises are among the top global risks," Steer said .

Boasts On 'Beautiful, Clean Coal'

Trump also boasted that the fight against "beautiful, clean coal" was won in 2017 under his watch.

“We have ended the war on American energy and we have ended the war on beautiful, clean coal,” he said. "We are now very proudly an exporter of energy to the world."

Commentators , which is used as a branding label used for carbon sequestration, a yet unrealized and somewhat controversialtechnique that would be used to reduce pollution from coal. Some environmentalists oppose coal of any kind, but there has never been an outcry against the so-called clean coal. In fact, carbon sequestration was embraced by the Obama administration, but the costs have proven to be limiting when there are other sources of cheaper clean energy like solar and wind.

Trump seemed to present a bright outlook for the coal industry, when in fact it continues to be a dying sector. Despite Trump's continuing agenda to roll back regulations, including a , there is no indication that any regulations havehad a negative impact on the industry. Instead, the market has been the driving force behind thedownward turn of coal, with other forms of energy, particularly natural gas, coming out as cheaper alternatives to coal.

Coal consumption dropped 2.4 percent last year, the , the New York Times reports, while 20 of 280 coal-fired power plants closed since Trump took office. The decline in demand has resulted in a 38 percent drop in U.S. coal production.

“There has never been a ‘war on energy’ or on so-called ‘beautiful clean coal.'" Steer noted. "Yet, this administration has failed to take advantage of the growing renewable energy markets, and instead focuses on outdated energy sources."

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In a Democratic response after the State of the Union, Sen. Joe Kennedy (R-Mass) also failed to mention climate change, an omission that on social media.

In a streamed response, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) asked how and not mention climate change.

"No, Mr. Trump, climate change is not a 'hoax,'" Sanders said. "It is a reality which is causing devastating harm all over our country and all over the world, and you are dead wrong when you appoint administrators at the EPA and other agencies who are trying to decimate environmental protection rulesand slow down the transition to sustainable energy."