Be Wary What You Wish For: Trump 2.0 Will Retract Climate Laws – CleanTechnica

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Another Trump administration would revise nearly every forward-looking Biden-Harris administration action, including breakthrough legislation to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis. The Sierra Club warns that “everything from rules to curb hazardous air pollutants to programs that help make cleaner and more energy-efficient purchases affordable would be on the chopping block” if Trump 2.0 becomes a reality.

Trump 2.0 is foreboding in its negligence to the existential crisis of our lifetimes — climate pollution.

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Here is a starter list of the reasons why you should be worried about the climate and your family if Trump 2.0 is a reality. The following data points are either direct quotes from Donald Trump or are taken from his campaign website.

Weather or Not?

Trump: The former president said, “In my opinion, you have a thing called weather, and you go up, and you go down. If you look into the 1920s, they were talking about a global freezing, okay? In other words, the globe was going to freeze.’”

The reality: According to NOAA, weather is what you see outside on any particular day. Climate is the average of that weather, or changes in long-term averages of daily weather. NASA says that we already see effects scientists predicted, such as the loss of sea ice, melting glaciers and ice sheets, sea level rise, and more intense heat waves.

Climate Pollution, Really?

Trump: “The global warming hoax, it just never ends,” he said, also referring to the climate crisis as “nonexistent” and “created by the Chinese.”

The reality: NPR reminded its audience that “last year was the hottest on record, and the next decade will probably be even hotter, research shows. And that warming brings heat waves, storms and wildfires that displace, sicken and kill thousands of people worldwide, including Americans.”

Curbing US Emissions? Think Again

Trump: In September 2019, the Trump administration replaced the Obama-era Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule, which did not cap emissions.

The reality:  The news service Carbon Brief estimated that a Trump victory could result in more than four billion tons of additional US emissions by 2030. Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris administration’s climate policies are expected to cut the country’s greenhouse house gas emissions by 40% by 2030, from 2005 levels.

Renewable Energy Exaggeration?

Trump: Trump has called renewable energy “a scam business.” His campaign asserts that, under the Trump administration, “without sacrificing any economic gains, American energy became cleaner than ever before.”

The reality: A victory by Trump in the November 5 presidential election would jeopardize a projected $1 trillion in low-carbon energy investments, and carbon emissions would be 1 billion tons more by 2050 than under current policies, according to an analysis by Wood Mackenzie. In April 2024, the Department of the Interior announced it has permitted more than 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects – surpassing a major milestone ahead of 2025 – enough clean energy to power more than 12 million homes across the country. This includes solar, wind and geothermal projects, as well as gen-tie lines on public lands that are essential for connecting clean electricity projects on both federal and non-federal land to the grid.

Wind Turbine Turmoil?

Trump: “I hate wind,” Trump told the executives over a meal of chopped steak at his Mar-a-Lago Club and resort in Florida. “The windmills (sic) aren’t working, the most expensive form of energy ever.”

The reality: Onshore wind installations fell 27% in 2023 to 6.4 GW, but Wood Mackenzie forecasts 7 GW this year and 11 GW in 2025. Average annual installs are forecast to hit 14 GW between 2025 and 2030, and turbine orders surged 130% last year to around 17 GW, with 80% of these orders due in 2025 or later.

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE): Exit, Stage Right?

Trump: Trump will end Biden’s “insane” CAFE fuel economy standards.

The reality: The “insane” standards will increase fuel economy 2% per year for model years 2027–2031 for passenger cars, while light trucks will increase 2% per year for model years 2029–2031. These increases will bring the average light-duty vehicle fuel economy up to approximately 50.4 miles per gallon by model year 2031, saving passenger car and light truck owners more than $600 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles.

Electric Vehicles: Very, Very Bad?

Trump: “They don’t go far. They cost too much, and whose batteries are produced in China with materials only available in China.” Stating that “EVs cost an average of TWICE as much as gas-powered vehicles, take longer to fully charge, and have shorter ranges,” Trump insists that the transition to personal transportation electrification will “force hundreds of millions of Americans into ultra-expensive electric vehicles.”

The reality: The federal government will grant car and auto parts factories in 8 states $1.7 billion to begin producing electric vehicles and other clean energy technology, the Biden administration announced on Thursday. The administration doesn’t want US drivers to buy cheap Chinese cars, which retail elsewhere for as little as $10,000, even though a surge of low-cost imported electric vehicles might help drive down car prices overall. Had he allowed low-priced EVs to enter the US, it could have potentially helped Biden in his re-election campaign at a time when inflation remains voters’ top economic concerns, according to the New York Times. At least 12 EV models have ranges over 300 miles — with the caveat that most EV drivers charge at home for a daily commute around 30 miles.

Failure to Protect US Auto Workers with EVs?

Trump: At a campaign rally at a non-union shop, Trump claimed, “Biden’s job-killing EV mandate has dictated that nearly 70% of all cars sold in the United States must be fully electric less than 10 years from now.”

The reality: Yesterday the AFL-CIO executive council voted unanimously to reaffirm its support for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, saying, “Unions have never wavered in our support of them because they’ve never wavered in their commitment to working people.”

Green New Deal: Gone, Baby, Gone?

Trump: “And we have other things that are also no good. It’s called the Green New Deal — I call it the Green New Hoax.”

The reality: After being stymied by Congress, the Biden-Harris administration created a New Deal-style American Climate Corps that serves as a major green jobs training program. The program is designed to employ more than 20,000 young adults who build trails, plant trees, help install solar panels, and do other work to boost conservation and help prevent catastrophic wildfires.

Sea Level Rise Means Rise in Property Values?

Trump: Trump has been questioned many times about his policies regarding rising sea levels with a Trump 2.0 election. “To which I say, great, we have more waterfront property. The oceans are going to rise 1/100th of an inch in the next 300 years, and it’s going to kill everybody,” he noted sarcastically.

The reality: In July the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published a Final Rule to implement the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS). The standard is a flexible framework to increase resilience against flooding and help protect communities.

Final Thoughts

If this list of items that forecasts a Trump 2.0 administration and its effect on climate actions aren’t enough, wait ’til you read the next article in the series: “Trump Intends to Assemble “an Army” to Deconstruct the Administrative State & the Environment.” Stay tuned.