Ivanka Trump the eldest daughter, and advisor of the president, has boasted about the emission reductions that have occurred under the Trump administration. It is certainly true that emissions this year have been 9.2% lower than the previous years, but of course this ignores the reason.
Trump has not done something to cause this drop, indeed anything that he has said on this topic has gone in the opposite direction.
So why did it happen? Well, obviously this is down to the shutdown as a result of the once in a century epidemic, which caused many states in the USA to put in stay at home orders. Less people allowed out, clearly means less cars on the road, and indeed this largely accounts for the emission reductions. It is certainly true that the last time emissions were this low was back in the 1950s.
However the suggestion that in some way Trump created this drop in carbon emissions is simply stupid.
Unfortunately, it has become a regular claim from Trumpists, where when some climate related item moves in a helpful direction, it is jumped on. The simple fact is that Donald Trump has been terrible for the environment. Often these claims go on to say that if Hilary Clinton had been in power it would not have happened, which is simply a foolish comparison.
The simple fact, is that Donald Trump has continually denied scientific fact, and raised conspiracy theories throughout his presidency. Indeed, there have been several times during the Trump years where there has been a swell of anger from Trump supporters because experts have debunked another claim. Whether Biden succeeds in cutting USA emissions or not, he recognizes the need for it to happen. Watching the disgusting behavior of Trump during the lame duck session is increasingly concerning, where they are desperately trying to constrain Biden from doing the obvious smart move – why on earth would they want this?
Donald Trump has spent his presidency pulling down academia and attacking scientists who don’t kowtow their science to support his schemes. As such, having a president who listens to the science and then does what is suggested, will be a relief. It does matter for the rest of the world, how Jo Biden succeeds on climate change. The fact that he has appointed a cabinet position to work on this: John Kerry, would suggest that he has to do better than Trump. By fully engaging in climate change mitigation, the USA still has the change to lead the world, and likely reap the riches that follow- if it moves fast. From Electric cars and solar panels to efficiency and carbon capture, the direct rewards are their for the taking, the fact that success will also mean large parts of the USA remain above sea level can only be a good thing.
