Trump Triumph: Green dreams go up in smoke
#Ajayan |
Donald Trump’s victory in the US signals a troubling standstill for environmental concerns, casting a long, ominous shadow over issues already sidelined in the rush to prioritize global security. The urgent crises of climate change, deforestation, fossil fuel promotion and resource depletion - critical challenges for our planet’s future - now face the very real danger of being derailed by this triumph. The promises he made during his campaign, which if translated into policies, threaten to undo years of fragile progress.
Ironically, Trump’s victory lands just days before COP, the world’s biggest climate conference, kicks off on November 11 in Baku, Azerbaijan - a timing that’s more than a coincidence. Why does this matter? Because this conference is precisely where climate finance is up for discussion. Developing nations have long demanded that the US and key EU countries contribute funds to cover the climate change costs these poorer nations are unfairly forced to bear.
Trump had previously slammed climate finance as a threat to US interests and openly declared his intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Against this backdrop, the prospect of financial support for climate-vulnerable nations seems bleak, forcing those who bear the brunt of climate change to shoulder an overwhelming and unjust burden on their own.
Representative image Recall that at last year’s COP in Dubai, nations pledged to transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy - a critical step in addressing climate change. Yet now, the triumph of Trump, a staunch fossil fuel advocate who suffered a defeat in the previous election, signals a stark reversal. Trump has shown blatant disregard for carbon emissions, even as the US stands as both the world’s largest carbon emitter and the biggest fossil fuel producer. The victory of this champion of oil industry sends a troubling message: the global push for sustainable energy might soon clash with an administration determined to double down on dirty fuel.
A cornerstone of Trump’s campaign was the unapologetic slogan: “We will drill, baby, drill.” For him, oil and gas is “liquid gold”, and his pledge to lower energy costs hinges on ramping up fossil fuel production. The US, already the largest producer of fossil fuels with vast shale oil reserves, has steadily increased its output since 2010, a trend Trump intends to accelerate. This not only undermines global climate goals but threatens to entrench fossil fuels as the primary energy source – a disregard for cleaner alternatives.
The threat looms large, underscored by the warm welcome Trump received from the oil and gas industry. The American Energy Alliance eagerly hailed his victory, declaring he would dismantle the “inflationary” Biden-Harris Green New Deal policies and slash what they called “wasteful taxpayer-funded subsidies” in the Inflation Reduction Act. Industry leaders expect Trump to “unleash” US energy potential and “preserve the right for Americans to choose the types of cars and trucks that best suit our needs”, an agenda that blatantly prioritizes personal choice over environmental concerns.
The outlook ahead appears bleak, as Trump, known for calling a spade a spade and rarely mincing words, has made his stance unmistakably clear. With a virtual red card held up against green policies, any hope for environmental progress seems dim. Giving combating climate change a bye, the path ahead may be paved with fossil fuels, leaving little room for the green initiatives.