One of Trump’s first orders of business on energy will likely be to reopen federal lands to coal mining, which would be a bad deal for taxpayers and the environment.
Low-income residents in Puerto Rico are fighting disposal of toxic coal ash in their communities. They’re also campaigning to shift from coal energy – the source of the problem – to solar power.
Matthew E. Kahn, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Although Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax invented by China, Chinese leaders believe cutting carbon emissions will generate economic and political payoffs at home and abroad.
Global indigenous and human rights movements that oppose the oil, coal and gas industries are charting a path for a fair and just transition to a low carbon energy future.
South Africa needs take a radically different path if it is going to make its economy more inclusive. It must start from the premise that markets are intrinsically skewed to historic privilege.
America’s coal heartland is delighted with Donald Trump’s election win. But like King Canute, he can’t turn back the tide of the global market push away from coal and towards renewables.
Queensland’s Supreme Court has backed the state government’s decision to approve the proposed Carmichael coal mine. But environmental groups have scored some key legal points on climate considerations.
Trump has promised to abolish Obama’s Clean Power Plan and back out of the Paris climate accord. But business could become a key firewall that won’t let Obama’s sustainability legacy die.
President-elect Trump’s objective on energy and climate is clear: Undo Obama’s legacy of environmental regulations and massively expand fossil fuel production.
Queensland’s planned new coal mine could impact the climate, the Great Barrier Reef, water, and local species. Yet still it has been declared as ‘critical infrastructure’ by the state government.
The potential shutdown of Victoria’s Hazelwood power station could leave a large gap in coal-fired baseload generation. But other coal power stations have plenty of spare capacity to fill the gap.
Malcolm Turnbull has said coal will be important for “many decades to come” – joining a long line of prime ministers who talked big on climate policy but found themselves talking up fossil fuels.
Trump is following in Ronald Reagan’s footsteps by pushing against regulations, but in the 1980s, it only awakened the public to environmental concerns.