THERE is much to be concerned about already as Donald Trump makes preparations to take over the world’s biggest economy and most powerful political office following his remarkable election victory last week.
The president-elect’s early picks for key positions suggest he will press ahead with threats of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, as well as stripping out large areas of government in a ‘efficiency’ drive led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
But perhaps of more immediate concern, as world leaders gather in Azerbaijan for the Cop29 conference on climate change, is his attitude to efforts to limit the alarming rise in global temperatures.
During his first presidency, Trump walked the US away from the Paris agreement that had been agreed by 195 countries in an effort to set firm targets on greenhouse gas emissions.
When Joe Biden entered the White House in 2021, one of his first acts was to re-commit to the climate accord but his successor has pledged to reverse that decision as well as sweep away environmental regulations at home.
That threat very much hangs over the summit taking place in Baku. The mood darkened further yesterday with news that the Argentinian government had ordered the withdrawal of its representatives.
The country’s far-right leader Javier Milei, said to have been described by Trump as his “favourite president” after the men spoke this week, is on record as describing the climate crisis as a “socialist lie”.
The fear is that other populist leaders, emboldened by Trump, may follow suit and fatally undermine the international resolve required to limit long-term global temperature rises to 1.5C.
Any decision by the US, Argentina or other nations to step back from climate commitments is short-sighted of course, as the crisis is one with implications for every country and its effects are clearly visible. The kind of population movements that have fuelled the rise of leaders like Trump will only accelerate as those living in countries severely impacted by climate change are forced to abandon their homes.
The global average temperature this year is almost certain to exceed 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for the first time, with the devastating recent floods in Spain graphically demonstrating the need for drastic action.
While some world leaders are notable by their absence in Baku, the presence of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer this week was welcome, as was his commitment to a target of cutting emissions by 81% by 2035.
Unless the richest countries demonstrate unity and leadership on climate change, and provide the financial and technical support for poorer nations to take action, the world could be paying the price of Donald Trump’s re-election for generations to come.
