Outcome of U.S. Elections will determine its role in climate Action

Dr. Seema Javed

Tomorrow on 3 November, the U.S. will hold elections for the office of President, for a third of the seats in the Senate, and all of the seats in the House of Representatives.

In addition, there are many local-level elections on 3 November that will determine the extent to which U.S. states, cities, and other local actors may have opportunities to pass clean energy and climate legislation.

These non-state actors have been a mainstay of U.S. climate action under the Trump Administration. They will continue to play an important role in accelerating clean energy adoption under either presidential outcome.

The day after the Election, the U.S. will officially leave the Paris Agreement (note the timing is just coincidental – 4 years after Paris had enough signatories to go into effect).

The outcomes of these 3 Nov. U.S. Elections will determine the extent to which the federal government will act on climate and clean energy in the coming years.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have the most ambitious climate action platform of any incoming administration in American history. If Biden’s win then his victory will open the door for necessary action to combat climate change – policies that for four years have been undercut at every turn.

A Biden administration is very likely to reshape global energy markets. It is expected to deliver one of the largest green stimulus packages in the world and ramp up billions of dollars in clean energy technology and development.

While A second Trump term would seek to continue its environmental deregulation agenda and propping up fossil fuels. But 2020 has been a tipping point for renewables, and another four years of a Trump administration can’t stop the clean energy transition.

In the mean while china , Japan , Korea and the EU have stepped up to capture the opportunities of climate action. According to the World Bank, in 2019, Korea ranked as the world’s 12th largest economy. As of 2019, it is also the world’s 7th largest emitter.

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East Asia’s three largest emitters are accountable for more than 30 percent of the total global emissions. After China, Japan, the annoncement by South Korea of net zero emission target has clearly set the path to Green planet.

The three largest economies in East Asia now have clear commitments to net zero emissions by or near mid-century. This is a powerful market signal that should help encourage other Asian nations to follow suit and send a strong message to carbon-intensive trade partners further afield that the region is moving to decarbonise.”