Opinion: Not Giving up on the Climate

Love, Justice and Climate Change

The election of Donald Trump is catastrophic in so many ways.  It will mean untold suffering for many people and for our country as a whole. It will also  be disastrous for the global climate crisis.

We are at a moment in history when the entire world needs to come together to reduce, and then eliminate, greenhouse gas emissions. What a time for the most powerful country in the world to elect a leader who calls climate change “a hoax.”

Trump has said that he will again take the U.S. out of the Paris accord, the main forum for nations to address the warming planet. He has announced “We’re going to drill, baby, drill.”  He has pledged to approve expanded drilling on public lands and to approve permits for climate-destroying fossil gas export terminals. He says he will undo the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate bill in history that has been funding expansion of renewable energy in homes and business and driving new jobs and innovation in industry.

Policy Disaster and Increased Emissions
He has promised to reverse all of the excellent environmental regulations and policies approved in the last four years. As Scientific American wrote, “He ignores the climate crisis In favor of more pollution. … He fills positions in federal science and other agencies with unqualified ideologues.” According to Carbon Brief, Trump’s election will add 4 gigatons to U.S. emissions by 2030 (a huge amount– equal to the annual emissions of the EU and Japan combined).

There has been widespread fear that if the U.S. is not doing its share, then other nations will slow down their efforts to eliminate emissions and address the climate crisis and things will deteriorate ever more rapidly. Some of this will undoubtedly occur.

Trump’s Impact Detrimental, but Limited
However, there are also signs that Trump’s impact, while very detrimental, will be limited. The global transition to renewable energy is further along and has greater momentum than when Trump was elected in 2016. International climate leaders are calling for the global effort to decarbonize our economies to continue, with or without the U.S. 

Li Shuo, of the China Climate Hub says “Trump’s win will not change the global green transition. Green energy is becoming cheaper and more competitive. This economic trend, not politics, will lead action from now on.”

China is stepping up to take global leadership. The European Union, with a population slightly larger than the U.S., is moving ahead with its green economic development agenda. In fact, if Trump pulls back on climate action, it may be the U.S. that loses out–yielding technological leadership and international markets to other nations.

Problems with Repealing the IRA
Within the U.S., Trump may find that repealing the IRA wholesale may not be so popular among his own people. Although no Republicans voted for the bill, the majority of the benefits of it are going to Republican congressional districts — 60% of the projects, 85% of the investments, and 68% of the jobs.

The transition to renewable energy in the U.S. is moving quickly and is mostly not determined by ideology. Texas, certainly no bastion of liberalism, has installed more wind power than any other state and has the second most solar power.

Regardless of the President-elect’s positions, climate impacts are accelerating in the U.S. in a way that will be impossible to ignore. Wildfires, droughts, floods, heat-waves, and catastrophic storms will continue to strike the U.S. Hurricanes Helene and Milton are each expected to cost in excess of $50 billion. Opportunities abound for the climate movement to help USers understand climate change and its effects more deeply.

Effective action by states, municipalities, and other institutions can play a major role in continuing to reduce emissions in the U.S., regardless of federal policy.

Time to Step Up
Nonetheless, things are going to get significantly worse under Trump. It’s time to redouble our efforts, not give in to despair. Now is the time for those of us who care about preserving this beautiful world for future generations to speak up, join climate organizations, and find ways to take local action and build the movement.

Good News from Pakistan
I want to end with a story that has been cheering me for some time and has taken on new significance since the election. Sales of electricity in Pakistan have gone down 10% over the last two years. That should have been a crippling blow to their economy, yet their economy has been growing. This was a mystery to analysts.

Upon further investigation, it turned out that ordinary Pakistanis have been buying huge quantities of very cheap Chinese solar panels and putting them up themselves – independently of the government or the utilities. In just six months, Pakistan imported solar capacity equivalent to 30% of its total electricity generation capacity.

Similar rapid expansions of solar capacity, initiated independently by individuals and small businesses, are happening in multiple African countries as well. Isn’t that happy news? Power to the people!

Russ Vernon-Jones was principal of Fort River School 1990-2008 and is currently a member of the Steering Committee of Climate Action Now-Western Massachusetts. He blogs regularly on climate justice at www.russvernonjones.org.