UN Warns ‘Climate Hell’ Is Approaching While Trump Is Unconcerned
The people of planet Earth have endured 12 straight months of brutal, deadly unprecedented heat and United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said “climate hell” is approaching if world leaders don’t take control of the spiraling climate crisis.
Guterres called on every nation to ban fossil fuel ads, in the same way advertising was banned worldwide for other products that harm human health, such as tobacco.
“We are at a moment of truth,” Guterres said.
Speaking about truth, in February 2020, trump infamously predicted that COVID-19 “is going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” The pandemic went on to take the lives of millions of people; it did not “disappear.” He also promoted injecting disinfectant to cure COVID-19. It did no such thing.
The possible next leader of the free world is again mocking the climate crisis, telling a gathering last week that “they say” (whoever “they” are) that the sea levels will rise one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years “which means basically have a little more beachfront property OK.”
That’s not what the National Ocean Service says. The service estimates that sea levels will rise about 10 to 12 inches in the next three decades, matching the cumulative rise over the previous century. The Environmental Protection Agency has reported that the average sea level has risen by an eighth of an inch per year since 1993. The rise in sea levels is already causing intensified storm surges, flooding and damage to the coast, displacing wildlife and people, National Geographic reported.
Trump is as uninformed as he is transactional. He is only interested in an issue where he can gain a quick benefit. His latest concern is collecting enough loot to pay his monstrous legal bills and he has made promises to the petrochemical industry in return for campaign money. Not good leadership traits when the world faces climate Armageddon.
Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service, noted that every month from June 2023 to May 2024 was the world’s hottest such month on record. Copernicus director Carlo Buontempo said the new milestone was “shocking but not surprising” given the pace of human-caused, fossil fuel climate change. Unless planet-warming is slashed, “this string of hottest months will be remembered as comparatively cold,” Buontempo said.
On the same day as the European Union released its dire climate projections, Guterres addressed a gathering in New York and slammed fossil fuel companies as the “godfathers of climate chaos” that “rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.”
Guterres said the companies have spent billions of dollars over decades “distorting the truth, deceiving the public and sowing doubt.”
Vermont is out in front in heeding Guterres’ warnings and by taking steps against big oil. Other states, including California, New York and Massachusetts, are considering similar legislation.
The Vermont Democratic Party-controlled General Assembly, with a handful of Republican votes, voted to require fossil fuel extractors and refiners to pay for some of the damages and adaptation costs the state has incurred and faces because of change climate. Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed the bill into law.
Lee Wasserman, director of the Rockefeller Family Fund, wrote that “expensive but necessary measures” to fortify communities to counter the dire effects of climate change “have been put off because money or political will is lacking.”
“At the same time, fossil fuel companies — whose decades of deception and continued resistance to a clean-energy transition bear responsibility for our climate emergency — continue to generate enormous profits,” Wasserman wrote. “Vermont is seeking to reinforce one of the most basic rules children learn in kindergarten, if not before: When you make a mess, you clean it up.”
The law covers the years between 1995 and 2024 and empowers Vermont to assess companies based on their share of the emissions they produced over those years. The money will pay for damages the emissions caused and also for measures to adapt to the changing climate by reducing exposure to floods, storms, crop damage, wildfires and other consequences
The Vermont plan is similar to the 1980 federal Superfund program that makes companies responsible for cleaning up or reimbursing the government for cleaning up sites contaminated by toxic and hazardous wastes.
Guterres called on world leaders to immediately make huge cuts in planet-heating pollution and immediately to end to any new coal projects. Rich countries need to commit to quitting coal by 2030, reducing oil and gas by 60 percent by 2035 and increasing the flow of funding to the poorest, most climate-vulnerable nations, Guterres said.
“We are playing Russian roulette with our planet,” Guterres said. “We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell.”
As global climate change reaches catastrophic proportions, the U.N. chief said that global climate commitments are “hanging by a thread.”
Copernicus’ data showed that each month since July 2023 has been at least 1.5 degrees warmer than temperatures before industrialization, when humans started burning large amounts of planet-heating fossil fuels. The average global temperature over the past 12 months was 1.63 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
Under the Paris Agreement in 2015, countries agreed to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. The goal refers to warming over decades, rather than a single month or year. In his first year as president, trump withdrew the U.S. out of the landmark Paris Agreement, calling climate change a “hoax.”
So far this summer, temperatures in the western U.S. boiled into the triple digits.
Elsewhere dozens have perished in India as temperatures inched toward 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Similarly brutal temperatures in Southeast Asia have caused deaths, school closures and shriveled crops. In Mexico, the heat surge has seen howler monkeys dropping dead from trees. Hotter air and oceans also triggered heavier rainfall and horrific storms that have battered the United States, Brazil, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates, among other nations, this year.
Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, said the recent heat offers “a window into the future with extreme heat that challenges the limits of human survivability.”
Clarke said that every tenth of a degree of warming exposes more people to dangerous and potentially deadly heat.
Scientists expect that global temperatures will start to fall below record-breaking levels in the next few months, a result a weakening of El Niño, a climate phenomenon that tends to boost the planet’s average temperature. But the change is only a brief respite.
“While this sequence of record-breaking months will eventually be interrupted, the overall signature of climate change remains and there is no sign in sight of a change in such a trend,” Buontempo said.
The World Meteorological Organization reported a 50:50 chance that average global temperatures between 2024 and 2028 would be more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, the limit set by the Paris Agreement.
In an interview on Fox, trump said nuclear weapons were “the single biggest threat, not global warming.”
The Climate Deregulation Tracker, run by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, documented more than 130 steps the first trump administration took to scale back the fight against climate change.
Trump’s anti-scientific denials of climate change are not new. As far back as 2012, he said climate change was “created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive.”
If trump is reelected it’s certain that he will not focus on climate change and will not heed the warnings of the U.N. and climate change scientists around the world. His plans were clear during recent fundraising meetings with oil executives.
At a dinner last month at his garish Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., trump pledged to reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental policies. In return, trump asked oil executives for $1 billion in campaign contributions.
At another recent fundraiser in Houston, trump promised corporate leaders that he would immediately approve their projects and expand drilling in a second term, following the same paths as when he worked to expedite the controversial Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines soon after taking office in 2017. Tickets cost $250,000 for the event at Houston’s Post Oak Hotel.
If he retakes the White House, trump said he would issue “immediate approvals for energy infrastructure. That’s pipelines, power plants.”
Trump said he would “lift the natural gas export ban, cancel all unnecessary energy-killing regulations … [and] open up more federal lands” to drilling. He also would immediately reverse Biden’s pause on approvals of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, a move that could directly benefit Energy Transfer Partners, whose pipelines serve several LNG export terminals that ship the fuel overseas.
Energy Transfer LP CEO Kelcy Warren, was a co-host of the Houston fundraiser. Warren is the billionaire chairman and the builder of the Dakota Access pipeline. In addition to co-hosting the Houston fundraiser, Warren donated $800,000 to the trump campaign throughout the 2024 campaign cycle.
Energy Transfer LP is engaged in the pipeline transportation, storage and terminaling for natural gas, crude oil, natural-gas condensate, also called natural gas liquids or NGLs, refined products and liquid natural gas. As of 2023, the company owns or operates more than 125,000 miles of pipelines throughout the U.S., making it one of the largest midstream companies in the country. It is also one of the largest exporters of NGLs in the world.
During his Houston speech, Trump did not ask the oil executives for a specific amount in campaign donations, but beseeched them to “be generous, please.”
Another co-host of the Houston fundraiser was Harold Hamm, the executive chairman of the oil giant Continental Resources and a pioneer of the country’s fracking boom. During the event, trump joked about Hamm’s singular focus on fossil fuels.
“He’s my original oil guy that taught me so much about oil,” trump said of Hamm. “This guy knows more about oil and gas … that’s all he knows. That’s the problem. He’s so boring to be with, you know, because all he wants to talk about is oil and gas.”
Continental Resources, Inc. is a petroleum and natural gas exploration and production company headquartered in Oklahoma City. It primarily used hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling to produce from low permeability formations in North Dakota, Montana and Oklahoma. In 2021, total production was 329 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day, of which 49 percent was petroleum and 51 percent was natural gas. The company ranked 818th on the Fortune 500.
The third co-host of the fundraiser was Vicki Hollub, the CEO of Occidental Petroleum, a company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States, and the Middle East as well as petrochemical manufacturing in the United States, Canada, and Chile. The company ranked 183rd on the 2021 Fortune 500 based on its 2020 revenues and 670th on the 2021 Forbes Global 2000.
Trump also complained about wind energy, claiming without credence that wind turbines kill bald eagles and that wind “doesn’t work.”
“So we have wind, but we want natural gas. Natural gas is clean and strong and powerful, and more gasoline and oil,” Trump said.
Trump promised that he would open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to drilling. During his administration, oil and gas leases were auctioned off in the refuge, one of the nation’s last unspoiled wild places.
Trump vowed to “end the EV (electric vehicle) mandate immediately.” He mischaracterized federal rules that require automakers to reduce emissions from car tailpipes, but they don’t mandate a particular technology such as EVs. Trump mocked energy-efficient and water-saving appliances, calling them a “scam” and part of “the energy hoax.”
The petrochemical industry and trump have constantly complained about Biden’s policies even though the U.S. produces more oil than any country ever has, pumping nearly 13 million barrels per day on average last year.
A new study, “Hitting the brakes: How the energy transition could decelerate in the US,” has dire predictions for a trump redux. The study was conducted by Wood Mackenzie, a global provider of data and analytics solutions for the renewables, energy and natural resources sectors. Wood Mackenzie’s team has more than 2,300 experts across more than 30 global locations who cover the entire supply chain.
The study found that under a second trump White House that net zero emissions, a major goal in climate governance, would be out of reach. Global net zero emissions is when emissions of greenhouse gases caused by human activities and removals of the gases are balanced over a given period. Reaching net zero requires actions to reduce emissions, such as shifting from fossil fuel energy to sustainable energy sources. In the last few years, net zero has become the main framework for climate action. Many countries and organizations are setting net zero targets.
The U.S. is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter globally behind China. Investment in low-carbon supply in the U.S. is key to lowering global emissions. Wood McKenzie projects that by 2030 the U.S will reach peak fossil fuel demand and have about 30 percent of global carbon capture and storage (CCUS) capacity, while electricity demand will double by 2050.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a process to store carbon dioxide without allowing it to enter the atmosphere. The process uses a relatively pure stream of carbon dioxide from industrial sources which is separated, treated and transported to a long-term storage location. For example, the burning of fossil fuels or biomass results in a stream of carbon dioxide that could be captured from large point sources, such as a chemical plant or a bioenergy plant, and then stored in a suitable geological formation. CCS retrofits for existing power plants can be one of the ways to limit emissions from the electricity sector and meet the Paris Agreement goals.
Trump would reduce support for low-carbon energy sources and would result in fossil fuel demand peaking at least 10 years later than current projections. Total gas demand would rise to be 6 billion cubic feet per day higher by 2030 than in base projections, a jump of 6 percent.
“CCUS and low-carbon hydrogen would face a slower investment pathway, constrained by policy and cost uncertainty,” the study found. “Under these circumstances, net zero quickly becomes out of reach, and a new slower pathway emerges for the energy transition. Each sector, from transport to power and emerging technologies, will be affected by a complex set of drivers.”
Other findings include:
Executive orders would be issued to roll back support for low-carbon energy, while the permitting of LNG projects would likely be sped up.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE) and Treasury Department would promulgate new regulations that would favor fossil fuels.
One potential regulation that would end involves the 45V production tax credit that favors blue hydrogen over green hydrogen. Hydrogen is labeled as blue when the carbon generated from steam reforming is captured and stored underground. Blue hydrogen is sometimes referred to as carbon neutral because emissions are not dispersed in the atmosphere.
Green hydrogen, also referred to as “clean hydrogen,” is produced by using clean energy from surplus renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power. Green hydrogen, though not carbon neutral, is seen by many as the best way to provide energy during times of high demand when renewable energy may be low.
The 45V tax credit provides a tax credit of up to $3 per kilogram of hydrogen to projects with low lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions and accompanies other hydrogen programs such as the Department of Energy’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program, which is investing $7 billion to catalyze nearly $50 billion in hydrogen investments.
The EPA also would likely roll back methane regulations, new power plant emissions standards and lower emissions targets in the transport sector.
A full repeal of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) under President Biden is unlikely. However, new legislation and trade policy targeting China’s dominance of low-carbon supply chain is likely. The IRA offers incentives with more than 70 credits aimed at facilitating the transition to cleaner energy production across solar, wind, hydrogen, and energy storage sectors. The IRA, along with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is designed to revitalize the U.S. energy system by investing in energy supply chains, clean energy job creation, emissions reduction and consumer energy savings. Broad-based corporate tax cuts under trump could reduce the tax capacity available to help renewable and new energy investors monetize the credits provided by the IRA.
U.S. government spending could also be limited as a way to address the country’s debt burden. The Congressional Budget Office expects the debt-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio to reach 109 percent by 2030 and hit 155 percent by 2050.
Under trump’s plans to delay transition from oil, net U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions would be 1 billion tons higher by 2050.
Other changes under trump would boost hybrid sales while slowing electric vehicle use. So far in 2024, consumers are increasingly buying hybrids as a lower-carbon alternative to conventional gasoline and diesel. While sales of hybrids have grown 57 percent, EV sales have failed to meet expectations, growing by only 19 percent.
“We expect a second Trump administration would amplify this trend by weakening federal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel economy standards for the 2027–32 timeframe,” the study noted. “This would likely lead to automakers increasing investment in hybrids to meet consumer demand while complying with federal emissions targets. As a result, the total stock of EVs by 2050 would be 50 percent lower than in our base case.”
Greater use of hybrids and less EVs would cause U.S. oil demand to increase by 15 million barrels per day by 2050, down only 24 percent from 2024 levels.
A second trump administration also would likely slow down funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, Home Energy Rebate Programs and the Clean School Bus Program.
The study concluded that under trump, trade policy and infrastructure reform would slow down low-carbon investment.
“However, focusing on decarbonisation will be an enduring priority for investors, companies and consumers,” the study noted.
It found that American companies that want to sustain the momentum for low-carbon investment should advocate for global carbon markets, continuing value-creating new energy investments and support innovation for next-generation technologies.
“The emerging technology sector in the US will need to reassess costs, project sizes and subsidy reliance. This should be approached from a position of confidence,” the study found. “The dramatic reversal of the US from an LNG importer to the world’s largest LNG exporter in about a decade highlights just how capable US companies, policymakers and investors are at adapting to change.”