Klimakeugner in the White House: What the EU can still counter Trump

There are few people who can laugh at climate change. One of them is Donald Trump. In the eyes of the US president, man-made global warming is a “Big Hoax”, a great joke. A dizziness, conceived with the aim of paralyzing the fossil economy in the USA.

Trump, of course, explains to those guilty where the fires and cities fueled by global warming are in ruins and cities. The US President does not establish the connection to climate change. Although the facts speak for it, there is no man -made global warming for him. Point.

And because there is no climate change, it is not worth talking about it. According to this logic, Trump has left the term from all official documents and V and has reversed environmental protection measures since his inauguration in January. In addition, the country said goodbye to the international climate agreement – once again.

The country will no longer be considerate of how many emissions it blows into the atmosphere. And there will also be no more consideration for those who suffer. That is the cynical message of Washington.

This is a disaster for the planet because the United States, as the largest economy in the world, is also one of the largest CO₂ emitters.

Pessimists expect Trump’s climate recipients to throw the world back for four years and encourage other countries to imitate. Meanwhile, optimists rely on the diplomatic arts of Europe. But how can you teach an unteachable?

In February, the EU Commission presented the Clean Industrial Deal in Brussels. The package of measures is intended to support energy -intensive industries in the green turn and reads like a counter -design to Trump’s fossil rollback. Economists and political scientists therefore consider Europe to be the world’s leading climate protector and

For the EU, this means that it has to further expand and strengthen its network with threshold and developing countries. The starting point seems favorable, after all, the EU is the leading in global climate diplomacy. However, the basics of such alliances are often financial commitments. The scope for such promises has now shrunk significantly by the climate recipient of the United States, explains political scientist Ole Adolphsen from the Institute for International Politics and Security of the Science and Politics in conversation with the star.

The most recent example: the US exit from the Just Energy Transition Partnership. Members of this initiative help emerging countries financially with the departure of fossil fuels. It was foreseeable that the United States would get out under Trump. But now the group lacks almost four billion euros-money that the G7 countries, especially the EU, have to organize otherwise.

The world can no longer rely on superpower as a donor. Now Europe is in demand. Trump has made this more than clear not only in terms of climate, but also with regard to the war in Ukraine.

Political scientists Adolphsen therefore believes that the optimism of some economists is hasty. However, he does not want to rule out positive economic side effects. He shares the hope of some experts that Trump’s politics could emigrate green US companies into the EU. This would benefit from the anti -climate course of the United States at least industrially.

“But that is all very speculative,” says Adolphsen in his answer to the question of what the US President could convert the inflation reduction act introduced by Joe Biden.

Republican states in particular benefit from the billion -dollar investment package. In Iowa, South Dakota and Oklahoma, for example, 40 percent of the electricity is generated with wind energy, in California and Texas 25 percent of the energy comes from solar systems. It is not yet quite certain whether Trump puts an eye on the economic prosperity or condemned such projects as ideologically driven self -interest.

Many also hope for the EU on this point. Could she use her Green Deal to provide a prime example of how sustainability and economic prosperity can be implemented? The EU Commission recently announced that it would reduce energy prices by avoiding imports from fossil fuels. That would save money: 45 billion euros by 2025, up to 260 billion euros by 2040.

Does that convince the Klimaeugner in the White House?

“It is hardly possible for Europe to achieve positive climate policy in the United States and is not particularly high on the priority list,” says political scientist Adolphsen. Europe is currently facing a wire rope act: to operate damage limitation, not to be blackmailed by the United States and at the same time save the remaining relationships.

Before taking office, Donald Trump had asked the European countries to increase their LNG imports from the United States. Otherwise it will hail duties. In the meantime, the EU is the largest liquid gas buyer in the USA worldwide, which have increased the limit values ​​for methane emissions in oil and gas funding and thus also test the EU’s credibility. Because the values ​​no longer match the specified limit values ​​in Europe.

In addition, Trump should not shy away from attacking the European climate rules. The mostly republican congress has long been annoyed by the CO₂ border compensation system, which should apply from 2026. Because then levies fall on certain imported industrial goods. Trump could threaten retaliation if US companies should not be released from the regulation. It would also be conceivable that the US government insists on using the submission as a sanction instrument against political opponents such as China.

The hopes in the EU’s persuasion of the EU when it comes to climate are great – the prospects of success are rather low. There are currently no signs that Donald Trump will change his opinion on climate change. If the EU Commission is still planning serious climate talks with the White House in the coming years, diplomatic skill is required. Otherwise, she should only expect Häme and Ignorance from Trump. .