The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States will, according to VUB climate scientist Wim Thiery, have harmful consequences for climate change. The U.S. is withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, will no longer focus on the production of electric cars, and is once again allowing extensive oil and gas extraction. The American climate platform Carbon Brief has calculated that, as a result, an additional four billion tons of carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere by 2030 compared to the continuation of former President Joe Biden’s plans.
"The consequences of these decisions are significant," says Thiery. "The U.S. is already severely affected by climate change, with rising sea levels threatening its coasts, more intense hurricanes, and an increasing number of wildfires, as evidenced by the recent fires in Los Angeles. A VUB study calculated that the area affected by these wildfires has already increased by 42% in recent years. And the affected land area will continue to grow in the coming years."
In the run-up to the November 5 elections, Trump repeatedly attacked Biden's climate policies and climate science. His slogan was "drill, baby, drill." He also announced his intention to end spending on what he calls the "Green New Deal." On his first day in office, he immediately put words into action by overturning a series of climate measures introduced by the Biden administration.
"These decisions have a dual effect," explains Thiery. "The U.S. will extract and consume more gas and oil, with less fuel-efficient cars and an industry that will invest less in lowering COâ‚‚ emissions. This goes hand in hand with less ambitious plans to reduce emissions. Moreover, on an international level, reaching climate agreements will become significantly more difficult now that one of the biggest players is turning its back on climate negotiations. Together, these two factors will not only have climate consequences in America but also affect us and the rest of the world."
According to Thiery, due to the official exit protocol, it will now take a year before Trump can formally withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. "All in all, as climate scientists, we unfortunately expect a visible effect," he concludes.
More information:
Wim.Thiery@vub.be