The climate skepticism of the new US government could risk spreading to Europe and slowing down the pace of the EU's transition. Climate Minister Lars Aagaard (M) fears this after Donald Trump withdrew the US from the global Paris Agreement on Tuesday night.
- I can think of one or two European countries that could use this as an excuse to slow down the pace of the green transition in the EU, says the climate minister.
One thing is that the US exit from the climate fight is bad for the climate, because the country is the world's second largest emitter.
- But on top of that, I may also be worried that other countries may use it as an excuse to do nothing.
The EU is facing major climate policy decisions, and agreement here could be hampered by the fact that the West's major economy is pulling in the wrong direction. For example, the EU must now set a new climate target for 2040. If the ambitions here are diluted because EU countries do not want to deliver greater climate action in light of the US's new policy, it could be harmful on several fronts.
- This will be problematic for both the climate and our energy security, says Lars Aagaard.
Regarding energy security, the Minister for Climate refers, among other things, to the fact that the expansion of renewable energy must be used strategically to ensure independence from Russia's fossil energy. At the same time, Lars Aagaard emphasizes that green energy will often prove to be the cheapest.
That is precisely why he still has hope that the American states will continue investing in solar cells and wind turbines - even though several green companies have seen their share prices fall sharply after Trump's comments about increased focus on fossil fuels.
- I don't think that means that the American market for green solutions will go to zero, says Lars Aagaard and adds:
- For example, in the electricity sector, the cheapest way to produce electricity is via wind turbines and solar cells on land. So things will continue, because Americans are not crazy about high energy bills either.
jel /ritzau/
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