President-elect Donald Trump I called Global warming is a “canard”, “a hoax”, and “doesn't exist”. He once said that the idea that global warming is caused by fossil fuel emissions was “created by China, for China, to make American manufacturing uncompetitive.” Trump asked why sea levels are rising answered “Scientists don't know what's going to happen. It's the weather.”
President Trump pressured to admit climate change is affecting the frequency and severity of wildfires declared“It's getting cooler. Just look. ”During his first term, he blamed California's devastating wildfires due to poor forest management: “There are forests all over the world. They don't have fires like they do in California,” Trump said then and now. did not mention the new normal.
Mr Trump is promised As soon as he returns to the White House, he will withdraw (again) from the Paris Climate Agreement. For oil and gas, “drill, baby, drill.” and “cancel everything” unused funds” related to clean energy in the Biden administration's anti-inflation law. he It may end subsidies for electric vehicles, school buses, and offshore wind farms; encourage fossil fuel extraction On public lands, it would direct the Department of Energy to change emissions regulations and delay loans and subsidies under CHIPS and the Science, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
President Trump's actions and accompanying rhetoric will almost certainly slow the transition to clean energy. But these days, not even the president of the United States can prevent that transition, especially when it involves the majority of the American people. believe Climate change is already causing great damage to this country. And Mr. Trump is fighting market forces, technological innovation, and pork belly politics.
Clean energy policies are deeply integrated into the global economy, and China often takes the lead in developing new technologies. By 2023, 90% new capacity Energy is supplied from clean energy sources all over the world. Strict regulations in the European Union are forcing multinational companies in countries such as the United States to prioritize renewable energy and decarbonization in their supply chains. As wind, solar, and electricity costs continue to fall and economic growth is decoupled from fossil fuel use, a backward-looking United States will find it increasingly difficult to sustain and develop markets in industrialized and developing countries. It will be.
The United States currently spends about $2 trillion a year on clean energy projects, more than double the amount allocated for new oil, gas, and coal supplies. Currently, heat pumps are outperforming gas furnaces. In 2023, Americans added three times as much solar capacity as natural gas. The car company expenditure Billions of dollars for electric vehicles, charging stations, and lighter, smaller batteries. the utility company has obtained Huge amounts of renewable energy.
Every dollar the government allocates to “green” technology generate Private investment is $5-6. Some states and localities are now requiring a higher percentage of their electricity to come from clean energy sources. Michigan, Maine, Massachusetts, and Minnesota recently made their climate portfolio standards more robust.
Many large projects have broken ground or are about to begin construction. For example, two days after Trump was re-elected, the Department of Energy closed on a $475 million loan for a battery recycling facility. Clean energy employs approximately 3.3 million people, or 1 in 50 workers in the United States. On average, their wages are 21% higher than workers in other occupations.
Meanwhile, fossil fuel companies, which are already producing more oil and gas in the U.S. than ever before and selling much of it to other countries, are trying to “drill, baby, drill” because more supply lowers prices. You might ignore the cheering squad.
principal beneficiary By an overwhelming margin, most of the Biden administration's climate spending goes to Republican congressional districts in red states. The biggest winner of the clean energy boom is Texas, followed by Florida. Rural areas in these states are eager to secure land for solar panel manufacturing facilities, electric vehicle factories, and lithium refineries. And labor costs there are lower than in blue states.
Unsurprisingly, in August 2024, 18 Republican House members asked Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) not to eliminate tax credits that have created tens of thousands of jobs in their districts. . And Mr Johnson has signaled that he intends to take a scalpel, not a sledgehammer, to existing clean energy policy.
Some industry experts put their tongues in their cheeks. predict With President Trump in the White House, financial firms will no longer use the terms “climate,” “sustainability,” and “ESG” (environmental, social, and governance) when brokering deals. Instead, it will emphasize the need for “transition finance,” “resilience,” “critical technologies” and “energy security.”
Many experts emphasize that the transition to a clean energy world is well underway. It's understandable to be concerned, but the only question to ask is how long will it take for that to happen?
Glenn C. Altshuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor Emeritus of American Studies at Cornell University.
