Ford School political economist Barry Rabe shares his outlook on the anticipated climate impacts of the Trump administration with the media, including on the Inflation Reduction Act, COP29 climate conference, and electric vehicle tax credits:
“COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan: U-M experts available to comment” Michigan News, November 11, 2024 - On the COP29 climate conference, Rabe shared “advances [from COP28] were prompted in part by expanding American domestic efforts and global outreach… COP29 launches in the aftermath of the American election and will represent an initial test of how other nations respond to the return of Donald Trump to the presidency in terms of their own ongoing engagement in this area.”
“What a Donald Trump presidency means for Michigan’s environment” Bridge Michigan, November 11, 2024 - Rabe told Bridge Michigan that “It’s eminently likely, especially with the shifts in Congress, that the electric vehicle tax credits could be in the crosshairs… I think it will be an all-out effort to restrict or even eviscerate what's being proposed in the Biden administration.” He raised concerns that we “would see more like what we saw with the Affordable Care Act, where you would take apart portions or chunks of it [the IRA] and really focus on those provisions that the president or the Republican Congress do not like.” Rabe also mentioned “any loss of federal dollars to support the energy transition could potentially slow its pace.”
“What does Donald Trump's victory mean for the climate?” Deutsche Welle, November 9, 2024 - Rabe stated, "There are a number of things that Mr. Trump has said during this campaign about trying to push out the boundaries of executive or presidential power beyond traditional norms, like impounding funds, which we normally don't give the president power to do.” Rabe anticipates a “return to more lax regulations that would likely mean the US cannot meet its 2030 climate targets.” Rabe announced under a Trump presidency we can predict that "The US is going to fall considerably short of that target for carbon dioxide, but also methane and most other greenhouse gases.”
“The 2 Climate Bulwarks Against the Next Trump Presidency” Heatmap, November 7, 2024 - Discussing the potential of Trump’s administration to change current climate policy, “I think that's going to be a huge issue and question [whether Republicans in Congress will support Biden’s climate policies]... You know, not only can Democrats close ranks to oppose any changes, but is there any kind of cross-party Republican base of support?”
“In the United States, the return of fascism and ecological backlash” Quebec Nouvelles, November 7, 2024 - Rabe anticipates that “Donald Trump, back in the Oval Office, will once again withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and that his arrival will put more pressure on Europe, as ‘the world leader in the fight against climate change.’”
