US Climate Progress in jeopardy after Trump’s victory. Image: The New York Times
(The Post News)- Since Donald Trump was re-elected president of the United States, the news has been nothing short of catastrophic for the climate. Trump has an alarming track record that has been marked by a blatant disregard for environmental protections and an embrace of fossil fuel industry interests.
Previously, Trump had dismissed global warming as a “hoax” and removed the US from the Paris Climate Agreement. Trump’s re-election has now given every reason to expect a return to policies that would accelerate America’s environmental decline. Currently, the US is already the world’s leading producer of oil, and Trump had promised to boost oil production during his campaign using his infamous slogan, “Drill, baby, drill.”
Furthermore, Trump has pledged to expand fracking, a highly polluting method of extracting oil and gas that may increase US emissions. According to Carbon Brief, Trump’s proposals might add 4 billion tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2030, which would be a terrible blow given that the country is already struggling to reach global climate commitments. Even though Trump’s administration has the ability to revoke important climate regulations and funding, there is growing opposition, and despite his frightening rhetoric, the shift to clean energy cannot be stopped.
Ambitious climate measures have been passed in states like Washington and California; these measures include emission caps and funding for environmental projects, which indicates that progress can continue at the local level. Martin Lockman of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law has pointed out that the focus on climate action may shift to the states, more especially in regions where the concept “climate change” is politically controversial but the impact is undesired.
Experts have cautioned that Trump’s plans might have serious consequences for the global climate effort, with the US likely to fall short of its carbon reduction commitments. France’s former climate ambassador, Laurence Tubiana, has emphasized that the future of renewable energy lies in Europe and other nations and has suggested the US may forfeit its economic leadership in the green economy should it retreat from clean energy.
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