Shifting to renewables has been one of the major themes of international politics these last decades, and since its refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol, the USA have always been the bad pupil in that field. Trump redoubled his insolence this summer, showing the rest of the class how to push the limits always further without fearing retribution.
During a visit in Virginia on Tuesday, August 21st, the American President announced a series of measures to be taken in favour of coal-fired power stations. Coal used to be America’s ‘black gold’, and it makes a certain sense for the man who promised to make The Land of Opportunities great again to declare its return. Coal-related opportunities will be grasped if ever they are brought about, considering 200 000 jobs have been suppressed in this industry over the past 5 years and former miners only wish to escape unemployment.
Trump has proclaimed a re-examination of the environment-protection legislations aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by 32% before 2030 in comparison with 2005 emissions.
Among his decisions would figure:
the de-penalization of any new coal exploitation on federal soils
the revisions of CO2 standards making any newly built coal station exploitation almost impossible under Obama
the relaxing of rules upon methane emissions in oil and gas industries
the authorization of federal agencies to ignore the impact on climate change of any of their arrangements
According to the Los Angeles Times, this project is a “radical alteration of the environmental rules set for the stations” during the Obama era through the Power Clean Act. It is a “true blessing for the coal industry, laying the foundations of the most polluting business’ recovery”, notes the newspaper, also admonishing the economic non-viability of coal energy.
If nothing stops it, the Trump Express will soon run exclusively with coal, turning decades-long efforts of the international community into dust. However, a large panel of experts reckon industrialists should not necessarily rush into coal, chiefly because of the current extremely low price of gas. For once, one of our sole hope relies onto the victory of worldwide corporations’ financial interest.
