Monday 16 September 2024
What does another Trump presidency mean for the environment?
As Donald Trump campaigns for a return to the presidency in America, the potential climate impact of his second term could be devastating to net zero progress according to several reports.
According to CBS News, Trump has previously called climate change a hoax. More recently, he said in an interview that the biggest threat to the world is not global warming, because the ocean is only going to rise one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years.
The former president has also said that he will increase oil and gas production if elected, to make America the top energy producer in the world.
Moreover, he has said that he will roll back the $370 billion (£281 billion) Inflation Reduction Act, a set of proposals to expand clean energy passed under Joe Biden.
According to the New York Times, Trump rolled back on more than a 100 environmental rules during his last presidency and this pattern will likely continue if he is re-elected.
Myron Ebell, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) transition team for Trump’s first term told The Guardian: 'Trump will undo everything [Joe] Biden has done, he will move more quickly and go further than he did before. He will act much more expeditiously to impose his agenda.'
What is Kamala Harris' climate plan?
In an interview with CNN, Kamala Harris said she believes the climate crisis is an urgent matter and people should apply emissions metrics and adhere to specific deadlines.
However, during the recent ABC presidential debate, she said that she would not ban fracking if elected.
Moreover, oil and gas production reached record highs under the Biden-Harris administration. And as vice president, Harris voted to increase leases for fracking as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Nevertheless, Harris has a background of holding big oil companies accountable through her position as California attorney general. According to the Atlantic, she "will surely do something to further meet the moment on climate policy, should she be elected president. But we don’t know what."
