Trump’s love for fossil fuels

“Drill, baby, drill.”

It was inevitable. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's affinity for fossil fuels has been well-known since his first term. The phrase, prominently featured at the Republican National Convention in July such as an ‘earworm song,’ encapsulates Trump's energy policy. As The Washington Post (WP) predicts, whether in Texas or Alaska, the digging is about to begin.

"Drill, baby, drill" is not a phrase newly coined by President-elect Trump. It was first introduced by former Maryland Governor Michael Steele in 2008 to emphasize the need for increased oil and natural gas drilling. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin later popularized the phrase, and since last year, President-elect Trump has made it his own. Its succinct and memorable nature makes it a perfect fit for his style.

The president-elect appears determined to make it happen. Wasting no time, Trump's transition team is poised to push forward with its agenda. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, referred to as an ‘energy czar,’ has been nominated for Secretary of the Interior, while former Representative Lee Zeldin was selected to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Both are strong advocates of pro-fossil fuel policies, dismissing climate change concerns by claiming that “global warming is not scientifically proven.” The icing on the cake is the nomination of Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Energy and inventor of a natural gas extraction process, who has likened climate change action to “Soviet communism.”

Why are President-elect Trump and his aides so fixated on fossil fuels? According to the Financial Times (FT), a private dinner was held in April at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, attended by U.S. oil tycoons. During the event, Trump reportedly promised to repeal regulations that had been burdening the industry in exchange for a $1 billion (approximately 1.41 trillion KRW) campaign contribution. For a president-elect who believes that “sea levels have always risen and fallen,” the arrangement was akin to having his cake and eating it too.

Cheap energy, especially from fossil fuels, would be a significant boon to the revitalization of American manufacturing that President-elect Trump has championed. Additionally, exporting energy from oil and natural gas could help address the country's troubling trade deficit. “Make the United States the world's cheapest energy source,” declares the 2024 GOP platform, Agenda 47.

Trump's strategy is already yielding results. The European Union (EU), struggling to secure Russian natural gas due to the ongoing war, is actively working to increase imports from the U.S. South Korea's Trade, Industry, and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun recently stated, “There is a need to expand U.S. energy imports to manage the trade balance with the U.S.” According to The Washington Post (WP), Australia and Norway are also following the U.S.'s lead in developing fossil fuels. At this point, it seems there isn’t a country in the world that isn’t paying close attention to Trump.

Where will the world end up while he gets what he wants? Last month, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that the average global temperature increase reached 1.54 degrees Celsius this year, surpassing the 1.5-degree threshold critical for combating the climate crisis. The New York Times (NYT) predicted that “greenhouse gas emissions will rise by more than 4 billion tons during Trump's second term.” The implication is stark: the extreme weather we are experiencing today may feel like an ordinary day compared to what lies ahead. We, and our children, will bear the brunt of these consequences.