Trump's reversal on climate change is among his most reckless actions | Opinion

• Among Trump’s most dubious claims is the assertion of an energy emergency requiring more drilling for oil and natural gas.
• There is an energy emergency — in the shape of a steadily warming planet fueling a changing climate.
• The future of manufacturing in this country involves clean energy.

Donald Trump likes an emergency, or to claim one, anyway. Such declarations have been a preferred move in his return stay at the White House. They have opened the way to cruel, chaotic and otherwise ill-conceived policies.

For instance, the president sees an emergency in trade. Thus, he has imposed, or threatened, unwarranted tariffs. Something similar goes for immigration, leading to his crackdown on undocumented migrants, whether criminals or not.

In each case, the argument for an emergency is weak, even at the border, where his predecessor took necessary steps, albeit much too late. Among the most dubious claims is the assertion of an energy emergency requiring an approach of “drill, baby, drill” for oil and natural gas. Recall that since 2018, the United States has produced more crude oil than any nation ever.

If anything, the president couldn’t be more misguided. Actually, there is an energy emergency — in the shape of a steadily warming planet fueling a changing climate, triggering more intense droughts, wildfires, flooding and other episodes of ruin and cost.

The physics matter, as scientists long have stressed, their projections now proving accurate. Carbon dioxide is essential to making the Earth habitable. Yet, pump more and more carbon into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, and the planet gets hotter and hotter, disrupting the patterns in our lives. The mounting carbon level adds energy to the climate system, with once rare events becoming more frequent and destructive, even common.

Consider that in 1990, annual global emissions of carbon dioxide stood at 22.5 million metric tons. Such emissions reached 37.4 million last year. If some countries, including the United States, have reduced their levels, the overall problem has gotten worse, with scientists warning about a narrowing window for avoiding catastrophic outcomes.

This is no “hoax,” contrary to Trump’s foolish claim.

It is an opportunity to show presidential leadership.

Joe Biden did as much. Whatever the obvious shortcomings of his presidency, he delivered the country’s first substantial and comprehensive response to climate change. Notably, the package included incentives via tax credits to encourage the production of electric vehicles and renewable energy.

Now, Trump and his Republican allies in Congress have begun to dismantle what Biden achieved. They have cast aside most of the clean energy incentives and embraced a future of continued reliance on oil and natural gas.  

There is much that is alarming about Trump the sequel − the disdain for the rule of law, the blatant corruption, the abandonment of “soft power,” harm to medical research, the bullying of higher education. Count the reversal on climate change among the most reckless.

What is so troubling?

The harm goes beyond the changing landscape for renewable energy and electric vehicles, the decade-long tax credits providing the certainty required to sustain investment. Diminished, too, are weather science and forecasting, plus programs to promote energy efficiency, the most cost-effective tool for reducing carbon emissions. The Trump team even has shut down federal websites related to climate change.

These are hardly helpful signals from the country most responsible for global carbon emissions over the years.

The United States once led the world in developing renewable energy, for instance, creating the first wind farm and rechargeable lithium-metal battery. Jimmy Carter installed solar panels at the White House in 1979.

Today, China leads the way, and Republicans appear determined to extend its lead as they bet on fossil fuels. Jim Farley, the chief executive at Ford, captured the shortsightedness, recently telling an audience at the Aspen Ideas Festival: “We are in a global competition with China, and it’s not just EVs. And if we lose this, we do not have a future at Ford.”

Ohio has a huge stake in moving forward with clean energy. The Biden initiatives brought $7 billion into the state. Now those projects are at risk. The BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of labor unions and environment groups, calculates that the Republican rollback jeopardizes 17,000 manufacturing jobs here. Add related employment, and the number climbs to 91,000.

No wonder business organizations joined in urging Trump and Republicans to back off their assault. E2, a nonpartisan business group, noted that by April, 72% of the clean energy jobs and 82% of all the investments had landed in congressional districts represented by Republicans.

E2 highlighted something else: By the end of May, with the Republican legislative assault taking shape, the project cancelations already had reached $15 billion for the year. So much for the president’s talk about manufacturing employment.

The future of manufacturing in this country involves the advanced variety, in which clean energy plays a big part, including sustainable polymers in Akron. Unfortunately, the president and Republicans have made the task much more difficult. They’ve gotten the emergency completely wrong.

Douglas is a retired Beacon Journal editorial page editor. He can be reached atmddouglasmm@gmail.com.