Climate Corner: Pulling the plug

Feb 22, 2025

Giulia Mannarino

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

Since the purchase of the White House by the unelected Elon Musk, who contributed $288 million to back Republicans including Donald Trump and others, there has been a flurry of activities from the Oval Office, most motivated by revenge. These include unjustified firings, unqualified appointees, pardons of violent criminals and several executive orders. There is no legal basis for many of these actions. The oligarchs are in power and their policies are focusing on tax breaks for the rich, tariffs passed on to consumers and fewer services for the needy. There also is an unhealthy interest in dismantling as many of the environmental policies put in place by prior administrations as possible. Although lawsuits are being filed, presently, chaos reigns. An example is an executive order signed by Trump on his first day, that pauses billions in funding for a nationwide buildout of fast electric car chargers. These funds had been allocated to states through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula program. The Federal Highway Administration, which distributes NEVI funding, recently told states to stop carrying out their plans, pending new guidelines.

This announcement creates uncertainty and means that states with projects in the works or those currently contracting for them, are to be halted immediately. And there is no information on if or when they will be able to proceed and request reimbursement. This is only one example of the administration’s illogical backpedaling decisions in support of the polluting fossil fuel industry. The dismantling of this particular environmental policy makes no sense. The transportation industry’s use of gasoline vehicles, known as internal combustion engines is the number one contributor to the pollution that is warming the planet. Due to market forces and technological progress, ICEs will soon be a thing of the past. The switch to electric vehicles and the infrastructure necessary to support this transition is critical. Elon Musk is amenable to Trump’s action because the reduced subsidies will hurt other competitors and could provide a boost for Tesla sales. The federal buildout is not the only effort to install EV charging across the nation. Private companies have collectively spent billions on this infrastructure. Experts agree that although Republicans may slow down a transition to EVs, they will not be able to stop it. No matter who is in the White House, automakers have a financial interest in promoting EVs.

The Democrats, unlike the Republicans, don’t deny the fact that global warming is real and caused by human use of fossil fuels. However, neither party, regardless of which has control of Congress, has done much of anything to address the seriousness or the urgency of the climate crisis. However, Trump’s campaign promises of “Drill, Baby, Drill” go overboard in contradicting overwhelming scientific evidence and consensus. “Kill, Baby, Kill” is more accurate for the future of the planet and the grandchildren. Climate change which emerged as an issue in the 1970s led to the establishment of Earth Day. Throughout the 1980s scientists testified before Congress about the problem of global warming caused by human use of fossil fuels. In 1990, with the issue of their first report, the problem of global warming was given international attention by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group organized through the Paris Agreement. Since that time, regular reports have been issued and predictions that were made in the earlier reports have come true.

Now Trump has once again withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, but the other members of the United Nations that have endorsed this document continue to take actions necessary to combat the climate crisis. There is a growing trend of countries and regions across the globe that are moving to replace ICEs with the cleaner, cheaper alternatives of EVs. The European Union phaseout of ICEs will take place by 2035. Twelve U.S. states also have announced official targets or similar plans. Although the world is switching to EVs, the Republicans want the U.S. to go backward. This slowdown will put the U.S. auto industry further behind the rest of the world. As Aldous Huxley wisely noted: “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.