What Donald Trump’s return means for energy policy

By Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Global energy and climate-innovation editor, The Economist

“BY FAR, the single most important thing the US can do in this moment to combat the global climate crisis is to send Harris to the White House.” So declared Manish Bapna, head of the NRDC Action Fund, an influential green lobbying group, in advance of the American presidential election. During his first term, Mr Trump embraced fossil fuels and tried to roll back environmental regulations. During the 2024 campaign, his energy mantra was “Drill, baby, drill!” and he mocked climate science and electric vehicles.