Trump stymies climate progress

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♻️ This week’s sustainability news

Trump’s full-frontal assault on climate action

What’s happening: In his first few hours in office, President Donald Trump released a flurry of climate and energy related executive orders. On the same day that Trump pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement, he announced a national energy emergency to boost fossil fuel production (despite the US already producing more oil and gas than any country in history). This includes allowing oil drilling and mining in large areas of public land and federal waters, including fragile wilderness areas in Alaska. He also stopped new permits for offshore wind projects, halted the release of federal funds for electric vehicle (EV) charging, and rescinded a federal program to boost low-carbon building materials. Additionally, he canceled an “EV mandate," which doesn't actually exist, and reversed several of President Joe Biden's orders that aimed to prioritise environmental justice in federal decisions. Furthermore, he told federal agencies to stop giving out money from the major climate and energy laws passed during the Biden administration, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This decision will put tens of billions of dollars of planned federal funding on hold and will probably be contested in court.

Why it’s happening: Trump’s actions are great news for the fossil fuel executives who poured tens of millions of dollars into his election campaign, with the oil and gas industry donating more than $75 million. He reportedly received applause at the Hay-Adams hotel in downtown Washington where some top oil and gas executives celebrated with champagne and mini Pop-Tart pastries featuring Trump's image. The event was organised by Harold Hamm, a billionaire and founder of the oil company Continental Resources, who helped raise millions for Trump's campaign. Trump’s wrecking ball to progressive climate policies was also foreshadowed in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s nearly 1,000-page policy manifesto for the next right-wing president.

Why it’s important: In this new era, it will likely be left to state and local governments to take the lead in caring for the climate and environment in the US. However, this will be unlikely to occur in certain states and will therefore result in a patchwork of action at a national level. Last year for example, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, approved a law that removed the term "climate change" from state documents and canceled plans to increase the use of renewable energy in Florida. Local economies could also be hurt if wind energy production is stopped, while it might become difficult or impossible for communities to get funds for home improvements if funds set aside under the Inflation Reduction Act are removed. For instance, in Wyoming, low-income residents might miss out on millions of dollars meant to help make their homes more energy-efficient.

However, in recent months, officials in the Biden administration have been working quickly to finalise contracts for over $96.7 billion, which is 84% of the clean energy grants from the IRA. This money is mostly already allocated. It includes $8.8 billion for state programs to help people buy energy-efficient appliances, $3 billion to reduce air pollution at US ports, and $9 billion to help rural electric providers switch from coal and gas to wind, solar, and nuclear power. Most of the spending from the IRA, possibly hundreds of billions of dollars, comes through tax credits. Companies can claim these credits if they use or make carbon capture technology or low-carbon energy sources like wind, solar, batteries, hydrogen, nuclear, and geothermal. These credits can’t be affected by an executive order, and Congress would need to act to repeal them. Some Republicans, whose districts have benefited from this spending, believe that some of these tax breaks should stay.

From a global perspective, staying in the Paris Agreement allowed the US to join global talks about climate solutions and show some leadership. The US now joins Iran, Libya, and Yemen as the only nations refusing to participate in resolving the climate crisis. Trump's strong shift towards using fossil fuels is happening after the hottest year ever recorded. Scientists warn that we are running out of time to keep global warming under control. Last year, burning coal, oil, and gas caused average global temperatures to rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above levels before the industrial era. Scientists say that even a small increase in temperature beyond this point can lead to more dangerous heat waves, wildfires, droughts, storms, and the extinction of species.

📖 Read responses to the executive orders: Executive orders on energy and climate have advocates across the nation on edge

🌐 Travel to Mexico

Immerse yourself in the Lacandón jungle

Experience beautiful nature: Located in Chiapas, the area is full of diverse wildlife, incredible ancient ruins, and a fascinating culture that has been preserved since the Maya era. We share our experience and all the must-see places to visit in our article.

😇 People doing great things

Danish city of Aarhus’ program to reduce plastic waste

Changing people’s behaviour: In January 2024, Aarhus started a three-year pilot project to reduce the use of single-use cups. After one year, its initial results have been shared with the hope that other cities will follow their lead. Instead of throwing away their cups, people can use special machines made by a Norwegian company called TOMRA to return them. A deposit is added to the purchase price of the drink, which is refunded when the reusable cup is returned via one of the machines located on main shopping streets. The goal is to recycle popular items like coffee cups, which are usually used for only 15 minutes before being thrown away. To encourage people, 45 cafes started offering drinks in reusable cups instead of single-use ones. In the beginning, only about 25% of the cups were returned, which made the team worry that the system might not work. To be better than single-use cups, reusable cups need to be returned and recycled at least six times, with a return rate of 82%. A big change happened during the Aarhus Uke festival in September when only reusable cups were used, leading to 100,000 cups being returned, which would have filled 1,200 garbage bins. The return rate for the program is now 88%, which means a cup is reused 44 times. The original aim was to collect 500,000 cups in its first year, but 735,000 cups were collected in 2024, saving 14 tonnes of plastic and reducing CO2 emissions. For 2025, the goal is to collect 1.5 million cups, with another 1.5 million planned for the third year. Aarhus also plans to expand this project to nearby small cities and other types of food packaging.

⭐️ Weekly inspiration

Veteran climate diplomat appointed as COP30 president

First one in three years not from the fossil fuel industry: André Aranha Corrêa do Lago will be in charge of this year's COP30 UN climate meeting in November, which will take place in the Amazonian city of Belém, with the COP president to play a key role in shaping the agenda of the summit and helping to form deals between countries.

Global EV sales up 25% last year

2024 was a record year for EV sales: Global sales of fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars increased to over 17 million vehicles due to record sales in December, especially in China and Europe, with incentives and emission targets boosting EV sales in China and helping Britain to become Europe's largest market for EVs in 2024, surpassing Germany.

Number of EV chargers doubled over 4 years in the US

More than 207,000 available: An increase from around 95,000 when Joe Biden took office in January 2021, the additional EV chargers are a result of more private investment and increased government funding from the Biden administration (although one report has estimated 1.2 million public chargers will be needed by 2030 in the US).

Barcelona’s ‘superblocks’ decrease pollution

Five ‘superblocks’ have been created in the city: Areas where traffic has been rerouted to focus on people, community, and active mobility to build a healthy city by addressing five key factors: air pollution, noise, temperature, natural spaces and physical activity (or the lack thereof).

The world’s most remote public EV charger

On the island of St Helena: Installed on the British island located about 2,000km from Africa's west coast, a Norwegian charging company, Easee, and the Japanese car brand Subaru, are testing the charger with the government hoping that by improving charging facilities, more people will switch from petrol and diesel cars to electric ones.

Ecuador’s coastal ecosystems have rights

First time Ecuador’s rights of nature applied to marine environment: Ecuador's Constitutional Court has ruled that coastal marine ecosystems have rights, such as the right to be respected and to maintain and regenerate their natural processes, as stated in the country's constitution.

The biggest solar-plus-storage facility in the US

Construction to begin in 2026: Nearly 9,500 acres of farmland will be turned into a massive solar energy project with the project to have up to 7,200 megawatt-hours of storage, and its nearly four million solar panels will create enough clean energy to power about 800,000 homes each year.

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