Environmental Groups are Fighting Back Against Trump’s Policies But Will it Be Enough?
Oil Rig in the Ocean (Getty Images/Terry Vine)
On Feb. 19, environmental groups filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Alaska against the Trump administration’s expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling, according to the New York Times. Offshore drilling can cause oil spills, such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, that are disastrous to marine wildlife. During the Biden administration, protections were put in place to ban drilling in 128 million acres of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, according to Reuters. Upon entering the White House, Trump revoked the ban, but the plaintiffs argue that the president does not have the power to undo these protections. EarthJustice, a plaintiff in the most recent case, filed a similar case against Trump in 2019 during his first term, the expansion of drilling ultimately halted by a federal judge.
The Trump administration has been keenly focused on a return to fossil fuels to combat what Trump calls a “national energy emergency.” This shift is reflected in the recent decision by the US Army Corps of Engineers to create a new class of permit for fossil fuel projects. This means the new projects may be fast-tracked, potentially bypassing the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires analysis of the environmental effect of new projects.
Fireboats put out the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (AFP/Getty Images)
Trump's movement towards fossil fuels is being heard around the world. Indonesia has expressed frustration with US climate policy given the US’s role as one of the top carbon emitters. This return to fossil fuels gives countries “an easy excuse to increase their own [production of fossil fuels],” says Nithi Nesaduri, the Director with Climate Action Network Southeast Asia. In contrast, Argentina withdrew its negotiators from the Conference of Parties (COP) — an annual UN meeting dedicated to international climate policy — back in November shortly after Trump won the presidential election, and the nation is now considering following the US’s footsteps by leaving the Paris Climate Agreement.
A further reflection of the movement away from green energy is the African Energy Bank, a collaboration between the African Export-Import Bank and the African Petroleum Producers Organization, which is set to open in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja as soon as this March. The African Energy Bank’s goal is to help electrify Africa, and it plans to primarily rely on offshore oil exploration and gas fired power plants to this end.
The Bank reflects a widespread fear among counties in the Global South of not being able to industrialize at the same rate as the Global North and being left behind economically as a result. The Global South has historically emitted the least amount of carbon and yet experiences the worst effects of climate change. Some in the Global South argue it is hypocritical of major emitters like the US to use fossil fuels to industrialize only to turn around and not allow other countries to use the same tools to industrialize. This raises important questions about how best to include the Global South in climate discussions to prioritize economic growth while centering local experiences.
Yet others have criticized the use of fossil fuels as short-sighted, believing the projects will soon become obsolete. “We must do everything we can to undo the destructive colonial legacy of extractivism,” Happy Khambule, a senior campaigner for Greenpeace Africa, commented, arguing for “a world where people and the planet come before the profits of toxic fossil fuel companies.”