The re-election of Donald Trump has cast a pall over the ongoing Cop29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. However, US climate envoy John Podesta struck a defiant tone in his remarks at the summit’s opening on Monday. “Although under Donald Trump’s leadership the US federal government placed climate-related actions on the back burner, efforts to prevent climate change remain a commitment in the US and will confidently continue,” Podesta declared.
Trump’s climate rollbacks loom large
Trump has vowed to unleash the fossil fuel industry, rescind environmental regulations, and withdraw the US from the landmark Paris Agreement. According to inside sources, his incoming administration is already preparing executive orders to undo climate policies and open protected lands to oil and gas drilling. “We have more liquid gold than any country in the world,” Trump boasted after his victory.
Experts warn that Trump’s forthcoming rollbacks could add a staggering 4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by 2030, compared to continuing President Biden’s policies. For young climate activists like Jamie Minden of Zero Hour, this “would be a death sentence to our planet.”
Ripple effects on global action
Trump’s imminent return to the White House could also dampen other nations’ resolve to tackle the climate crisis, particularly China – currently the world’s top emitter. Former US climate negotiator Todd Stern noted, “China is extremely aware that the US president won’t be bringing up climate change with them for the next four years. It will make things easier on China and that can’t help but have some impact.”
The two biggest players in the ring are the US and China, and China is extremely aware of that.
– Todd Stern, former US chief climate negotiator
The fight goes on
Nevertheless, Podesta insists that “the fight is bigger than one election, one political cycle in one country.” At Cop29, activists are urging the outgoing Biden administration to lock in a bold emissions reduction target and ramp up climate finance for developing nations – to the tune of at least $1 trillion.
ActionAid’s Teresa Anderson pointed out that if the US falls short, other wealthy countries could make up the difference. “This is a test for rich countries,” she said. “If they believe in the climate emergency then they should be willing to pay more than their fair share, not less.”
Meanwhile, Podesta highlighted Biden’s remaining opportunities to advance his climate agenda, such as:
- Rejecting pending fossil fuel project permits
- Enacting further emissions cuts in the power sector
- Accelerating the transition to clean energy
Paris accord “will survive another Trump presidency”
As the Marshall Islands’ climate envoy Tina Stege observed, the Paris Agreement boasts 195 signatories and is bigger than any one country. “The Paris Agreement has survived one Trump Presidency and it will survive another,” she affirmed.
US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who will join the Cop29 delegation later this week, echoed this sentiment. Although Republicans are “aiming a torpedo” at climate progress, he wrote in an email, “large swaths of the US remain committed to steering the planet away from climate catastrophe, a catastrophe that is already doing massive economic harm.”
The road ahead under a second Trump administration is undoubtedly rocky. But as Podesta avowed, even if the US falters in its climate leadership, the global fight for a livable future will – and must – forge ahead. The planet depends on it.
