The U.S. energy landscape is poised for a transformation under either president, but Trump’s policies would leave emissions 16% higher after two terms than Clinton’s, Lux Research says BOSTON, MA – November 2, 2016 – U.S. Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have very different outlooks on the country’s energy future. As the world looks to reduce carbon emissions following the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, Clinton’s plans would keep the U.S. emissions on their current downward trajectory, while Trump’s would send them rising again, according to Lux Research. All told, estimated emissions would be 16% higher after two terms of Trump’s policies than they would be after two terms of Clinton’s, amounting to 3.4 billion tons greater emissions over the next eight years. Clinton has set forth an ambitious goal of deploying enough solar capacity to power every home in the U.S. and would use natural gas as a “bridge” in a transition from fossil fuels to renewables. On the other hand, Trump’s vision includes greater production of fossil fuels and criticizes incentives for renewables. Clinton intends to follow current President Barack Obama’s goal of reducing emissions by up to 30% by 2025, while and Trump will seek to cancel Obama’s Clean Power Plan and withdraw from the Paris Agreement. “As independent analysts, we don’t endorse candidates, but the data and analysis clearly show that energy policy and the resulting emissions will go in very different directions under Clinton and Trump,” said Yuan-Sheng Yu, Lux Research Analyst. “Climate change hasn’t been front-and-center in media coverage of this election but voters should be aware of the implications of their choice on this important issue,” he added. Lux Research analysts evaluated Clinton’s and Trump’s proposed plans and their likely impact on adoption of various energy sources and technologies. While of course there is still uncertainty about the specifics of each candidate’s policies and how successful they would be in implementing them, from the principles each has laid out, it’s possible to make reasonable high-level estimates of the impact. Lux Research found: Tracking innovations and emerging technologies in the energy sector is part of Lux Research’s Alternative Fuels, Distributed Generation, Energy Storage, Exploration & Production, and Solar Intelligence services.
If the US elects Donald Trump as President of the United States, the country will emit 3.4 billion more tonnes of carbon emissions than if his rival Hillary Clinton should win. Lux Research has predicted that estimated emissions would be 16% higher with a Trump presidency after two terms, due to his commitment to cancelling current president Obama’s Clean Power Plan and to withdrawing from the Paris agreement. The report also predicts that Trump’s policies on climate change could lead to an increase in extreme weather events such as hurricanes, droughts, floods and heat waves, which are expected to become more frequent under Trump.