There have been many positive moves on the environmental situation around the world during the time with Trump – this despite Trump going against everything.
Under the presidential leadership of Joe Biden it appears that the USA will return to her fact-based logical approach to world problems. At home this means moving towards net zero emissions: power generation must cut its emissions to virtually zero in the next few decades, electric cars and solar panels must be supported very heavily in order to make these the only financially viable option and the USA must develop a sensible policy towards hunting and trophy imports, so that this is only done in a sustainable way and in parts of the world that have a population that can take it.
It will also mean the USA rejoining the Paris climate accord, as well as re-engaging on many different subjects that Trump has shown little interest in. In the short-term Biden has said he will cancel the keystone pipeline – a project that was going to emit vast quantities of carbon and is quite unnecessary.
In the UK some of this common sense may harm us, for instance quite realisticly Joe Biden his said he will concentrate on a deal with the EU, and only after this is in place will look at a deal with the UK post Brexit.
Thankfully in much of the world Trump’s foolish changes did not change the direction of travel, now that the USA is back at the climate change table we must fully work on stemming emissions as quickly as possible. Importantly countries such as China and India must start to cut their emission intensity (emissions per person or per activity).
In theory a government like the USA moves ponderously and therefore there is little change when the president takes over, this is expected to be quite different. Firstly the vast majority of Trumps effect has been done through presidential diktats, and as such many of these can be instantly undone buy a presidential diktat reinstating the original rules.
Aspects such as Medicare or Medicaid may be harder, though as Democrats now control House, Senate and White House one would hope that they could push through some sensible changes rapidly. It should be of great embarrassment to citizens of the USA that being diagnosed with an illness can lead to bankruptcy – all other leading economies have some form of universal healthcare, only the USA suggests that if you don’t have the money you’re not worth saving.
One longer lasting impact will be Trump’s impact on the courts. This is frankly anti-democratic – the first supreme court justice was by rights Obama’s, but Mitch McConnell stole it. Whether all these many judges stymie fighting global warming will be something we will have to wait and see. What is clear is that why America is clearly divided, and many people live in a fairyland – and believe Trump’s lies, the results were very obvious.
Biden must reach out to Trumpists – now Trump is out of power the many failings of his government are going to become clearer, one would hope that this will eat away at the 75 million who voted for him but we will see. It is true that Donald Trump is not leaving the stage, he is running for re-election in 2024.
We must hope that the things done in Trump’s name like the separation of children from their families on the border and the many other instances of harm such as with the Covid-19 outbreak or ineptitude, become clear even in Trump heartland, such that many Trump supporters fall away before the next election.
Above all, we must hope that this change of leadership in America brings America back to the table in the fight against climate change, biodiversity loss and trade and allows the world’s move more rapidly to a sustainable basis.