At the recent COP29 climate conference, held from November 11th to November 22nd, in Baku, Azerbaijan, climate scientists and policy makers from around the world met to discuss plans for how best to address climate change moving forward. The summit, while fraught with disagreement and controversy, concluded with a 300-billion-dollar funding deal for developing countries being agreed upon. The results were not considered ideal, with some believing the lack of progress made indicates international climate cooperation may be failing (Developing nations blast, n.d.). However, they do still represent at least a small step in the right direction towards addressing climate change globally. Conversely, as a foot note to the conference, upon being reelected as president, Donald Trump has reiterated his plans to withdrawal the U.S from major climate agreements and reestablish the United States’s dependency on fossil fuels moving forward. This divergence between the rest of the world and Trump’s policies guarantees one thing, America will no longer be looked to as a leader on important world issues moving forward as it has been in the past.
Moving to address climate change isn’t just the pipedream of some hyper-extreme environmentalist, it’s smart economic policy. Climate change is an observable reality, with 2024 being forecasted to be the hottest year on record. In order to address this, renewables and clean energy-based solutions are increasingly being emphasized in economies across the world. For example, the United Arab Emirates has recently implemented its new policy of total energy neutrality by the year 2050, restructuring industries and passing new laws to help achieve their goal (Net zero targets, n.d.). Similarly, developing those industries associated with renewable energy could ensure the healthy development of the U.S economy for years to come. Conversely, moving in the exact opposite direction by increasing dependency on fossil fuels will ensure the U.S economy is not going to be prepared for what lies ahead and will heavily stunt the country’s long term economic growth. It also means the composition of the U.S economy will increasingly be at odds with the way the rest of the world is developing, putting them at a disadvantage in terms of trade and negotiation.
Climate change is by far not the only issue that will be affected by a Trump presidency. The Arab Israeli conflict, the war in Ukraine and many other foreign policy issues will also be impacted. For the Arab Israeli conflict, it’s clear based on the limited commentary on the issue he has given on the subject and Trump’s unflinching support for Israel, that he hasn’t really read very much on the subject. For example, Trump has stated he supports Israel’s full control of the West Bank and Gaza, directly in contrast to the two-state solution supported by most intellectuals and concerned political parties, including emissaries from China and India (Where does Donald Trump, n.d. ). Similarly, for the war in Ukraine, Trump has made clear his support for Putin, all while the European Union (EU) and the rest of the world is still trying to make Ukraine and other former soviet satellite states EU members. All of this points to one fact. The United States will not be looked to for leadership on these important issues either. Why would countries and leaders look to a person who is totally unqualified for his position for advice?
Lastly, speaking in terms of international relations more generally, Trump’s policies are more than likely to lead to America becoming increasing isolated from its neighbors and former friends. Trump has recently reiterated his idea to implement tariffs on goods from China and Mexico, among other countries. Again, these policy ideas have little support from economists and academics, who say that they could stoke inflation and collapse international trade agreements. Nonetheless, Trump vows to press ahead, at whatever cost. In his previous term, Trump’s tariffs on China were unsuccessful in achieving their goal of restructuring the U.S-China trade deficit. There is little reason to believe another round of these policies will lead to different results.
In conclusion, the reelection of Donald Trump practically guarantees the establishment of a new world order moving forward. Unfortunately, short term gain does not equate to smart economic policy. If it did, there wouldn’t be such a thing as savings accounts or interest rates. Instead, smart economics often means planning ahead and not sacrificing future prospects for a quick cash in. Similarly, moving in contrary to expert opinion with regards to foreign policy issues is unlikely to yield good results. Obviously, all of this is predicated on the ability of Trump to successfully implement his policy ideas. However, as it stands, the future of the United States as a leader on key world issues is now more dubious than ever before, with other countries looking to supplant it as the predominant superpower. It remains to be seen which country or organization could take this mantle moving forward, with China being a likely candidate, among others. It’s unfortunate, but America needs to look no further than the mirror to see who is to blame.
References:
Developing nations blast $300 billion cop29 climate deal as insufficient. Reuters. (n.d.). https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/wealthy-countries-back-raising-cop29-climate-deal-300-billion-sources-say-2024-11-23/
Net zero targets. Net zero targets. Climate Action Tracker. (n.d.). https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/saudi-arabia/net-zero-targets/#:~:text=Saudi%20Arabia%20intends%20to%20reach,zero%20operational%20emissions%20in%202050.
Where does Donald Trump Stand on Israel, Palestine and the Middle East?. Middle East Eye. (n.d.). https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/donald-trump-middle-east-foreign-policy