“While climate was rarely on the ballot by name, Trump’s anti-climate policies shaped the outcome.”
The Democrats have won a historic victory in the US midterm elections, taking control of both the House and the Senate. The sweeping win will curb President Trump’s power and male it less likely he will be re-elected at the next elections.
Democrats won in states that have voted Republican for decades – and where Trump won by double digits just two years ago. The results lay bare Americans voters’ deep frustrations over high prices, the Iran war and climate policy.
“While climate was rarely on the ballot by name, Trump’s anti-climate policies shaped the outcome. Energy security, affordability, quality jobs and resilient communities now form a single, coherent agenda, and yesterday’s vote rejected the policies that have made each of them worse,” says Lisa Sachs, Associate Professor at Columbia Climate School.
Trump has been terrible news for climate action in the US, kneecapping previous administrations’ progress in cutting the carbon emissions of the world’s second biggest polluter, behind China.
Under Trump’s command, the US government is “actively obstructing the clean energy transition while simultaneously incentivising the production and consumption of fossil fuels,”
Can a Democrat-controlled Congress rollback Trump’s anti-climate policies? Could they end the energy crisis precipitated by the Iran war? What about the impact on energy bills in Europe? Euronews Earth spoke to climate experts to get their analysis.
Will energy bills in Europe get cheaper?
Energy bills across Europe have risen steeply since Trump attacked Iran, leading to unrest and deaths across the Middle East and a huge bill for US taxpayers. In terms of energy, damaged oil and gas infrastructure and the closure of the Hormuz Strait have limited oil and gas supplies, leading to price hikes worldwide.
Trump has already acknowledged that the Iran war played a role in his party’s defeat, telling Fox News, “I think a part of it was Iran, but at the same time, people understood the importance of what I’ve done with Iran.”
To end the Iran war, the newly elected Democrat senators would need to get two-thirds of both chambers of Congress to support a withdrawal. This would mean some Republicans also needing to be onboard. But even without this, starting today, they can curb a lot of action through tighter restrictions on the military budget, as well as demanding investigations into the war.
So while a drop in energy bills is unlikely in the short-term, the outlook is certainly brighter than it was yesterday.
Could US emissions drop under the Democrats?
As the world’s second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, the US is one of the countries most responsible for global warming. Since we all share the same climate, we need every country to be moving fast to replace fossil fuels with clean energy sources like wind and solar.
Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” policies have seen the US double down on emissions-heavy fossil fuels while moving away from cleaner energy sources like wind and solar.
Democrats could provide more support for renewables and electrification, while at the same time scrutinising new oil and gas drilling projects, methane emissions and fossil-fuel subsidies. They could also push for stronger environmental standards and enforcement.
Can the Democrats reverse Trump’s anti-climate policies?
The Trump administration has weakened and dismantled many important climate measures, from the landmark 2009 climate ‘endangerment finding’ underpinning federal emissions rules to tax incentives for clean energy.
While the Democrats won’t necessarily be able to overturn past rulings, they have gained important new powers to curb the damage.
They can launch investigations into potential corruption and conflicts of interest, examine cuts to environmental agency staff and funding, and scrutinise plans for oil and gas expansion.
They will also have more power to oppose future attacks on climate policy. Having greater influence over future budgets and spending legislation could allow them to add environmental provisions to major bills.
The Senate’s ability to confirm future cabinet and federal judge appointments could have a big impact too, since the latter sit for a lifetime, meaning they retain power far beyond the presidential term.
President Trump still has the power to veto any legislation passed by Congress, however, which can only be overridden with the support of two-thirds of both chambers.
States that have turned from red to blue could see renewed political momentum behind climate and environment policies, for example support for clean energy projects.
Could the Democrats prioritise clean energy over data centres?
Data centres are increasingly drawing opposition across the US by “increasing emissions, driving up household power bills and competing with communities for water, often where it is already scarce,” says Sachs of Columbia Climate School.
Big tech-owned centres often get to skip the queue and get connected to the grid quicker than renewable energy sources, like wind and solar farms, raising concerns about how limited electricity infrastructure is being allocated.
Growing frustration over the cost of electricity, the influence of tech billionaires like Elon Musk, and the environmental footprint of data centres may have angered voters enough into voting against the Republican party.
While Trump has cancelled many clean energy projects and funding, there is hope that newly elected Democrats could start to turn the tide and lead their states back toward renewables.
“Voters across the country have sent a powerful message and now elected leaders in Washington must get to work to deliver relief to the American people. One of the clearest ways to do that is to champion a transition off dirty, polluting fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy,” says Dr Ife Kilimanjaro, Executive Director, US Climate Action Network.
Source: www.euronews.com
