Abandoning Climate Change Fight Benefits Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin is well
 aware that the Russian economy is
dependent on oil and gas exports..

President-elect Donald Trump has signaled ambivalence about many policies, such as Obamacare and infrastructure spending. But on at least one issue, his attitude is crystal clear: climate change. Trump has vowed to withdraw from the Paris agreement designed to limit fossil fuel use, and presented himself as a champion of the coal industry. U.S. national policy seems set for an epic shift away from alternative energy and carbon reduction.

That alone probably won't be enough to change the planet's course. The biggest carbon emitter by far is China, and all of the increases in emissions are coming from the developing world. Meanwhile, U.S. states and cities will continue efforts to curb carbon, and the steady improvements in solar and battery technology are unlikely to grind to a halt. But if other countries follow Trump's lead, the nascent effort to beat back global warming could suffer big setbacks.

Who would win from a retreat in the war on climate change? Oil, coal and gas industries around the world, obviously, as well as coal-burning power companies. But the biggest winner probably would be another country: Russia.

Read Noah Smith’s story in the Hartford Courant - “Abandoning Climate Change Fight Benefits Russia.”