Trump Vs. the Energy Transition
Plus, preorder Power Metal to win a prize! And more about the human and environmental costs of renewable energy and digital technology — and how we can do better.
Donald Trump’s victory on Tuesday (I’m fighting down the acid reflux brought on by typing those words) is not only bad news for democracy, the rule of law, public health, immigrants, women, NATO, Ukraine, and the Palestinians—it’s also potentially disastrous for the fight against climate change.
“The win empowers him to deliver on his campaign pledges to go after climate policies he’s dubbed the ‘green new scam’ while reorienting the federal government toward pumping more crude and building more power plants,” including coal-fired ones, reports Bloomberg. Trump is so besotted by fossil fuels he took time in his acceptance speech to verbally salivate over America’s “liquid gold,” its record-breaking oil and gas production. President “Drill Baby Drill!” will do everything he can to promote oil and gas production, including opening more federal lands to exploitation, and promoting exports of liquid natural gas. Right after he pulls the US out of the Paris climate accords. Again.
Besides doubling down on fossils, Trump will probably at least slow America’s shift to renewable energy. He’s promised to shut down offshore wind farms “on day one” of his presidency (it’s going to be a very busy day, what with launching mass deportations and ending the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East). Also in his cross-hairs is the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration legislation that earmarks some $370 billion to promote renewable energy and combat climate change. Parts of the law will likely endure, though, since many of the projects it is already pouring money into are in Republican congressional districts.
Trump’s approach to electric vehicles is a little iffier. He has promised (another day one agenda item!) to gut federal policies that favor EVs, especially an Environmental Protection Agency regulation that limits tailpipe pollution from cars and light trucks so strictly that it effectively forces automakers to sell more electrics. “Trump tends to frame electric vehicle-friendly policies as harmful to the US auto industry and has floated the idea of rescinding the Biden-Harris administration's $7,500 EV tax credit,” notes S&P Global. On the other hand, Elon Musk, troll-king of Tesla, America’s biggest EV maker, has in the last few months become one of Trump’s closest allies. Musk will surely have something to say about getting Americans to buy more of (his) electric cars, and Trump will surely listen.
All that said, Trump’s impact on this newsletter’s main focus—the worldwide hunt for critical metals—will probably be pretty minimal. We might see an increase in domestic mining, as Trump rolls back environmental regulations for companies aiming to dig for metals in the US. He already opened Minnesota's Superior National Forest to mining, clearing the way for developing a large copper-nickel operation there, according to S&P Global. But in the global scheme of things, the US is actually a minor player when it comes to extracting and refining critical metals, and in manufacturing the electric cars, digital gadgets, wind turbines and solar panels that are made with those metals. China dominates every part of that supply chain. It produces most of the metals, builds most of the renewable and digital hardware, and is the world’s number one market for electric vehicles. Europe comes next. They’re keeping their eyes on the future, even as America runs headlong toward the past.
Preorder Power Metal, Win a Prize!
Enough about the election. How about, if I may be so bold, a little good news? My book, Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future, hits stores in just 12 days! And if you preorder it any time between today and November 19, you can enter for a chance to win a virtual visit from the author (that’s me) to your book club, organization meeting, boozy evening with pals, sweet sixteen, bat mitzvah, or any occasion you like. I can give a reading, answer questions, show you pictures of my dog, you name it. If that sounds appealing, you can preorder here and enter the contest here.
Whether or not you want me to show up at your event, if you’re interested in the stuff I write about in this newsletter I really urge you to preorder the book. The Washington Post, NPR, BBC, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Scientific American and Wired all say it’s worth your time. John Vaillant, author of Pulitzer-nominated Fire Weather, calls it “a necessary, illuminating, and often shocking read.”
Selling books is good for me, of course, but I also really believe the information in this book is important to us all. Preorders can really help get the word out; they send a strong signal to booksellers and the algorithms that determine whether you see something on Amazon. It’s working—preorders have already put Power Metal in the #1 spot in Amazon’s Natural Resources category! Many thanks to those eager readers.
More News Worth Knowing
💥 Massive Explosion at Missouri Battery Recycling Plant
🤖 Robots Are Building Solar Farms
🚓 South African Cops Force Hundreds of Illegal Miners Out from Underground