In his inauguration speech, on becoming the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump stated very categorically that there are only two genders: male and female. In making this statement, he seemed to have no problems offending the transgender community.
Trump made no such bold, or counter cultural pronouncements about climate change. He avoided the issue while at the same time announcing an energy emergency. He used the word ‘energy’ three times – energy prices, energy emergency and American energy – but he did not mention ‘climate’, not once in his inaugural address. He didn’t mention the word ‘environment’ either.
Of course, the energy emergency – assuming it does indeed exist – is a consequence of concerns about climate change and the environment. The Paris Agreement, which the President subsequently announced he would be withdrawing the United States from, has as its main goal keeping global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) specifically by dramatically reducing the use of coal, oil and gas. It is ostensibly about saving the environment – something never mentioned in Trump’s inaugural address.
While claiming an energy emergency, in the first week of his presidency Trump also announced he will halt the leasing of federal waters for offshore wind farms. He wants to solve the energy crisis, not with American wind, but with American oil and gas.
Trump specifically said:
The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today I will also declare a national emergency. We will drill baby, drill.
America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have — the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on earth — and we are going to use it. We’ll use it.
We will bring prices down, fill our strategic reserves up again right to the top, and export American energy all over the world.
This puts Trump at odds with the King of England, Charles III, and so many others of the ruling class who have been making a fortune out of the energy transition that, according to Trump, has unsustainably forced up prices.
While Trump wants to contain the spread of wind farms, earnings from King Charles’s sovereign’s public estate have more than doubled as a direct result of planned new offshore wind farms along the British coastline.
More specifically, profits at the King’s property group more than doubled to £1.1billion in the 12 months to the end of March 2024, up from £443million in the previous financial year. Most of the £658million increase in profits came from the extra fees paid by the developers who won the rights to build six new offshore wind farms — in the North Sea and off the coasts of Cumbria, Lancashire and north Wales. In total, the in the fourth round of seabed leasing in January 2023 banked just over £1billion for the Crown Estate.
For sure, the policies of Trump as they relate to energy production do not appear consistent with King Charles III who rules over the Commonwealth including Australia. But neither Charles nor Donald is commenting on this – for the moment.
The chatter is that Trump has great respect for the monarch, and that his wife Melania is a pen pal of King Charles, both sharing a concern for the environment and specifically climate change – that was also not mentioned at the inauguration.
Australian conservatives meanwhile are reaffirming support for the King, with the leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, indicating that should he win the election in Australia later this year that Australia will not withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Indeed, as far as I can tell, here in Australia at least, there is no interest in putting this country, or its people and businesses first when it comes to issues of energy affordability.
The Australian government is absurdly claiming we can continue as a global aluminium powerhouse while transitioning to wind and solar. Dutton, in opposition, is claiming nuclear, as a fine source of future reliable electricity. Never mind, that nuclear would likely increase the wholesale electricity prices to the point it was at least twice as expensive as electricity from new and refurbished coal-generating electricity plants but still cheaper than renewables.
Of course, what is missing in all of this is some discussion about the science that underpins the notion there is a climate emergency in the first place, an emergency requiring the energy transition which more than doubled the earning of our King last financial year, while according to the new President of the United States it is unaffordable.
Instead, everyone is being polite and not mentioning it. A situation that could continue for as long as Melania and the King of England are pen pals – at least.
***
The feature image/photograph shows wind farms off the coast of Norwich, with Jennifer Marohasy in the foreground back in September 2015.
Herman A (Alex) Pope says
Trump’s Executive Orders indicates he is not concerned about man-made CO2 warming. He is concerned by the actions to fix the CO2 problem that are causing much harm with no benefit. He is being much more successful because what he is doing clearly has many benefits and not using the words climate change, he promotes less unfounded attacks.
GlenM says
Given the soporific state that Australia’s population lives in – complete with its political/ media class, I say it will be the usual downunda. As for Trump he is thick as a brick on most matters. None the less he is the collective Wests best hope.
Herman A (Alex) Pope says
Personal gains from green energy projects by people in positions of great influence prevent them from being honest about their actual motives.
Herman A (Alex) Pope says
That Photo, of the beach with the windmills, is a really sad sight. Last time I was at the beach in Galveston, I could see some windmills, there were not as many and they were much further away. My Photos were of family and I hope the windmills did not show up.
Herman A (Alex) Pope says
Modern Clean Coal and Nuclear are the best and we should try to convince as many others as we can to that conclusion. We need low cost, reliable, abundant, 24/7 energy, with reliable regional grids that work in difficult times. Large, complicated, green energy grids are difficult to manage when anything goes wrong anywhere and there is way too much that is likely to go wrong.
Karen Klemp says
Let’s place the future climate our grandchildren will have to endure in the hands of game show hosts and bloggers.
David Tanner says
Jenifer, I think you should have a look at how Copenhagen Atomics is proceeding with its Thorium reactor. They are proceeding cautiously, but they seem to have got nearly to the position where they add radioactive material to the mix.
Michael Burston says
The Climate 200 mob, evidently spooked by the Trump ascendancy, is running wall to wall social media advertisements offering to match donations dollar for dollar, yet they’re founded by billionaires, same as Gina Reinhardt whom they call out. At least Gina is transparent with her money, not devious like the Climate Industrial Complex. We’re offered vague promises of better weather in 100 years in exchange for what’s effectively a consumption tax
ironicman says
‘ … the future climate our grandchildren will have to endure …’
You may have missed my memo, CO2 does not cause global warming, so our grandchildren won’t be worse off because of a minuscule increase in a harmless trace gas.
Karen Klemp says
Michael Burton, tighten that tinfoil hat is gonna be a bumpy ride.
Christopher Game says
It’s worrying that Melania seems perhaps to have some influence on Donald if she doesn’t know that the Green New Scam is indeed a scam. I think Charles may be a lost cause.
Don Gaddes says
Humankind (including Trump,) does not have ‘God on its side’.
It is time to expunge Religion of all denominations and iterations – and the attendant Priests and Monarchies, from the Planet.
The fact that the Solar-induced Orbital Dry Cycles, (defined in ‘Tomorrow’s Weather’ – thirty years on….) operate at set frequencies and precise geographical, Longitudinal Terrestrial Footprints, according to the Earth/Solar Orbital Calendar – exposes the Gregorian Calendar of 1582 as a Catholic fabrication.
There are always 360 Day/Night Intervals in One Earth/Solar Year – consisting of 12 X 30 Day/Night Interval Months. (There are no 7 day weeks, or ‘leap years’.)
A Day/Night Interval represents the time taken for the Earth to orbit through One Degree of Solar Longitude.
Record Low Temperatures;
” As I write, (December,1983) those record low temperatures are prevailing as far south as Miami, Florida, and in what is regarded as a sub-tropical zone, oranges are being frozen solid for the first time in the recorded history of the region.
Such a scenario can scarcely be equated with a rapid warming-up of the Earth by the end of the century. I find the present situation much easier to reconcile with the predictions of H. Lamb and R. Bryson who warn of the imminent onset of another cold period.” (Alex S. Gaddes, (‘Tomorrow’s Weather’ (1990)
Noel Reid says
Very interesting thanks Jennifer.
From here in NZ, it was beginning to sound like Peter Dutton was starting to make sense, arguing for nuclear power rather than inconsistent/unreliable solar/wind, even tho coal makes even more sense, esp with the abundance of it in Aus.
Really disappointing to learn he’s indicating that should he win the election in Australia, Aus will not withdraw from the Paris Agreement. I was hoping he’d set an example that the NZ Govt might grow the backbone to follow….
ironicman says
It may take a little while to get things moving.
‘While former President Joe Biden made climate change a hallmark of his administration and some of his policies remain, at least for now, Trump is quickly unraveling that, even as many of his moves are likely to be challenged in court.’ (AP)
Trump should reinstate scientific red and blue teams to find the truth.
Brian Combley says
Mr Dutton you missed an opportunity here, the majority of Australians do not believe this Global Warming Alarmism. The only thing that may save you is that there is at present nobody who promotes this fully other than the fringe parties.
Australia will have a Nigel Farage spring up and threaten the conservatives, The Teals without the funding from Homes a Court and Co. will never be a main stream party.
ironicman says
I like the sound of this.
‘Project 2025 — the blueprint Trump allies wrote for his second term — lays out plans to cut out entire sections of the government’s climate work, particularly at NOAA and EPA.
‘The proposal includes offering the public incentives “to identify scientific flaws and research misconduct” in the studies backing federal regulations, which would allow industry-funded researchers to sow doubt about peer-reviewed science.’ (Politico)
Noel Degrassi says
Norwich didn’t have a beach when I lived there (its 20 miles away) . Looks a bit like Greater Yarmouth.
Sneaky old Charley, he is behind it all.
Karen Klemp says
”
In 2023, Climate of the Nation asked for the first time about Australians’ concerns regarding the impact of climate change on the cost of living. Three in four (75%) say they are concerned about more expensive insurance premiums, and the same proportion (75%) are concerned about disruptions to supply chains making it harder to buy necessities.
The top three climate impacts of concern are more droughts and flooding affecting crop production and food supply (80%), more bushfires (79%) and the extinction of animal and plant species (79%).”
https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/climate-of-the-nation-2023/
ironicman says
‘While one in three (33%) want new coal mines to be allowed, just 7% support using taxpayer funds to subsidise those mines.’
They won’t need government subsidies, its a cash cow, unlike unreliables which need large subsidies and still depend on coal power to carry base load.
ironicman says
Something happened in 2013 which made more Australians think the end is nigh and its all our fault.
https://poll.lowyinstitute.org/report/2024/climate-change-and-energy/
Karen Klemp says
“Australia’s subsidies to fossil fuel producers and major users from all governments totalled $14.5 billion in 2023–24, an increase of 31% on the $11.1 billion recorded in 2022–23. $14.5 billion equates to $27,581 for every minute of every day, or $540 for every person in Australia.”
ironicman says
Political Economy
https://www.joannenova.com.au/2025/01/thank-us-voters-australian-pension-funds-are-backing-away-from-climate-pledges-too/
ironicman says
Karen, fossil fuel subsidies are an important part of the mix.
‘Subsidies were essential in the United States’ fracking revolution. Novel approaches to extracting fossil gas and oil – boosted by major tax incentives – turned the US from a major importer of oil and gas into a net exporter by 2019.
‘You can see why the US did this. At a stroke, it went from being dependent on energy provided by foreign nations to being independent.’ (The Conversation)
ironicman says
Atmospheric Science
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/01/29/australian-heatwave-stories-cop-severe-criticism/
ironicman says
Framing of news: LA fires exacerbated by climate change.
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2025/01/29/la-fires-more-likely-because-of-climate-change-say-attribution-studies/