Following his inauguration for a second term, U.S. President Donald Trump issued over two dozen executive orders affecting various policies, including immigration and national security.
Some directives aim to boost oil and gas production while reducing efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Legal and congressional challenges may arise, but experts note a significant deviation from the climate initiatives of the Biden administration.
“Energy Emergency”: At the inauguration, Trump declared a “golden age” for America, largely driven by increased oil and gas exploitation. “We will drill, baby, drill,” Trump stated, emphasizing the country’s vast oil and gas reserves.
Trump announced a “national energy emergency”—a first for a U.S. president, though details remain unclear, NPR reports. His administration aims to cut energy costs and achieve energy “dominance.” However, The New York Times notes that domestic oil production hit a record high in 2024, and natural gas prices reached a historic low.
Michael Gerrard of Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law told the Times, “The U.S. is producing more oil and gas than ever before. The emergency order seems mostly performative.”
Doug Burgum, Trump’s nominee for Interior Secretary, expressed concerns about electricity grid reliability during a Senate hearing.
Global Impacts: Several orders reversed Biden’s climate policies, with claims that “climate extremism” has increased inflation. Yet, research shows climate change exacerbates inflation.
Trump halted new wind farm approvals on federal waters and on land, cut federal support for electric vehicles, and ordered reviews of liquefied natural gas export terminals—paused by Biden in 2024, Inside Climate News reported.
Legal challenges and congressional obstacles may impede Trump’s energy agenda, but the Republican-controlled Congress could facilitate implementation. Environmentalists oppose these measures, arguing they exacerbate global warming.
Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, stated, “There is no energy emergency, but a climate emergency.”
Trump also announced U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord, which could influence other nations’ climate commitments, according to Inside Climate News.
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Original Story at insideclimatenews.org