Trump: regime change, not climate change

DONALD TRUMP has spoken from the global pulpit. Speaking at the 80th anniversary of the United Nations (UN), he has called climate change a “big con” and by association, all of us, who advocate for urgent action, charlatans. In his rant, he berated Europe for its green energy transition, saying it leads to high costs that would kill growth. He dismissed the science of climate change and went on to say that coal was clean. But I am not writing this to demean your intelligence and to explain why Trump is wrong. We know the reality of climate change as extreme weather events tear across our world, bringing with them economic devastation and human tragedy.

- SUNITA NARAIN

The question is, who was Trump really addressing when he spoke at the UN General Assembly? I believe this is what we must discuss. He was not speaking to the leaders in the grand room; he was not even speaking to the likes of you or me. He was speaking directly to the large numbers of ordinary middle- and working-class people, both in the rich world and the to-be-rich world, who believe that they have been cheated and deprived in the globalised economy. In their minds—and Trump would like to ensure this message is stamped—the problem is the “invasion” of immigrants, who they see as taking away livelihoods. It is about governments that are weak and allowing this to happen with impunity. It is then linked to the higher cost of living and declining real wages and the cost of green transition, which Trump says will lead to the downfall of the western civilisation. Windmills, which generate cleaner power and at lower cost than conventional systems, are blamed for driving down standards of living.