Trump wants to take action to combat climate change

Donald Trump's election as president for a second time and Republican takeover of the U.S. Senate could undo many of the national climate policies that most reduce global warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to climate solutions experts.

When they list measures that will make the biggest difference, it is consistent with the policies that Trump has announced as his goal.

These setbacks will come as more people are losing their lives in heat waves, record levels of climate pollution are accumulating in the atmosphere, the United States has been hit by two of what could be its costliest hurricanes, and nations are set to meet in Baku, Azerbaijan next week for climate negotiations , have failed to take strong action to change these realities.

Here are some of the measures.

The Inflation Reduction Act, the country's landmark climate law

This law is significant because it is expected to reduce U.S. emissions by about 40% by 2030 if it occurs as planned in the coming years.

Money is flowing into measures that replace clean energy with dirty energy. This is done, among other things, by granting loans to entrepreneurs who build new solar and wind farms.

But it is not limited to that. It encourages geothermal energy developers and companies that capture carbon dioxide from their smokestacks and bury it underground. It creates incentives for the next generation of nuclear energy. It gives electric car buyers a $7,500 tax credit. People who buy their cars used can also get a credit, as long as they don't earn too much to qualify.

In contrast, Trump has summed up his energy policy as “drill, baby, drill,” promising to dismantle the Democrats' “green new scam” and boost production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal. the main causes of climate change.

He promises to eliminate wind power subsidies included in the groundbreaking 2022 climate law.

If Trump sets his sights on climate law, there are provisions that are likely safe. One is a credit to advanced manufacturing companies because it is perceived as an “America first and pro-US business,” said David Shepheard, partner and energy expert at global consulting firm Baringa. Electric vehicle incentives are probably the most at risk, he added.

In a call Wednesday morning, Scott Segal, head of a communications group at law firm Bracewell LLP, which represents the energy industry, said the climate law is unlikely to be repealed.

Dan Jasper, a senior policy adviser at Project Drawdown, said repealing parts of the climate law could backfire because most of the investments and jobs are in Republican congressional districts.

Pollution from power plants

The most important US rule to curb climate change caused by electricity generation in coal-fired power plants is also considered vulnerable. This Environmental Protection Agency rule, announced in April, would force many coal-fired power plants to capture 90% of their carbon emissions or shut down within eight years, Shepheard said.

By 2047, this is expected to save around 1.38 billion tons of carbon dioxide and tens of thousands of tons of other harmful air pollutants.

Industry groups and Republican-controlled states have filed legal challenges to a number of EPA rules, including this one, and Trump's victory means the Justice Department is unlikely to defend them.

It is unlikely to survive under a Trump presidency, Shepheard said.

The United States has reduced carbon dioxide emissions primarily by replacing coal-fired power plants with clean, renewable electricity, said Rob Jackson, a climate scientist at Stanford University and chairman of the Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists that tracks countries' carbon dioxide emissions.

“I hope we don’t lose sight of the benefits of clean energy,” he said. “It’s not just about the climate. It’s about our lives and our health.”

Limiting leaks of harmful methane or natural gas

The Biden administration has been under pressure to reduce one of the main pollutants that contribute to droughts, heat waves, floods and stronger hurricanes – methane, or natural gas. It leaks from oil and gas facilities, sometimes intentionally when companies find it too expensive to transport.

The Biden administration has issued the first national rules on this matter.

Industry groups and Republican-leaning states have challenged the rule in court. They say the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority and set unattainable standards.

The EPA said the rules were entirely within its legal responsibility and would protect the public.