Can The Planet Survive Trump 2.0?

Ignorance and vengeance in the US, chaos for world order, and environmental protections gone. What could possibly go wrong?

A few nights ago, useful idiot Tucker Carlson sat down and “interviewed” Russia’s President Putin on his new “show” on Twitter. Two hours about how Ukraine isn’t really a country but merely a breakaway part of Russia that must be reclaimed. Basically, the world’s richest man acquired a massive platform where the world’s most repellent media figures give a voice to the world’s dictators. 21st-century standards; no better example around.

It is disheartening to realize that this is where we find ourselves these days. Where are we heading? What leads societies to self-destruction? We are witnessing a disturbing wave of societal suicide around the world. Nation after nation is willingly destroying itself, almost gleefully proclaiming self-destruction as a choice. My country, Argentina, recently elected a Libertarian president who came out of nowhere with a jigsaw and, in less than 3 years, formed his own party and gained the elections.

And then, there is a real possibility of a Trump 2.0 term.

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

In 2015, Donald Trump boldly declared to USA Today’s Kirsten Powers that his ultimate literary inspiration was none other than Ayn Rand’s controversial non-consensual “play” between two loving equals novel, “The Fountainhead.”

According to Trump, “It relates to business, beauty, life and inner emotions. That book relates to … everything.” Powers added that Trump “identified with Howard Roark, the protagonist who designs skyscrapers and rages against the establishment,” even resorting to dynamite to make his point clear.

Rand’s blunt philosophy in “The Fountainhead” boils down to one ruthless mantra:

“One puts oneself above all and crushes everything in one’s way to get the best for oneself.”

According to Rand, Trump’s hero, Roark, embodies this ethos perfectly, exuding an unwavering belief in his own superiority and a disdain for the world’s worthlessness. He operates solely on his desires, devoid of external standards or moral considerations. His complete selfishness is as natural to him as breathing.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, can the planet survive Trump 2.0?

Let’s cut the fiction for a moment.

Because behind Rand’s glorified characters lies a chilling truth. The real-life inspiration for Roark, William Edward Hickman, was no hero — he was a cold-blooded kidnapper and murderer who lived in Los Angeles during the Roaring Twenties.

In 1927, a teenage Hickman kidnapped Marion Parker, the daughter of a wealthy banker, demanding a ransom of $1,500 from her father — about a year’s salary. But Hickman never intended to live up to his end of the bargain. And didn’t hold back on any of the details: like Roark, he was proud of his cold-bloodedness. Hickman collected his $1,500, then tossed the rest of a dismembered Marion Parker onto the road. He even sewed open her eyelids to make it look like she was alive.

Days later, the police caught up with a defiant Hickman in Oregon.

While society rightly condemned Hickman as a monstrous villain, Alissa Zinovievna Rosenbaum, a 21-year-old Russian political science student who’d arrived in America just two years earlier, saw him through a different lens — as a beacon of individualism and strength. She would then evolve into a writer and change her name to Ayn Rand, shaping her literary characters on a man she hero-worshipped as the rest of the world read through a mix of ignorance and horror.

These are the types of heroes and stories shaping the mind of what may lie ahead in the immediate future.

A Threat to Global Stability

In 2023, the world was overpowered by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a severe economic recession, skyrocketing living costs, the Hamas October 7 attack, and the Israeli genocide over Gaza. Adding to the chaos, it was also the hottest year on record. These conflicts and tragedies have already shaken the world to its core, but the worst may be yet to come. If a second Trump presidency becomes a reality, the next two years could surpass all previous challenges and exacerbate the existing crises.

In a critical moment demanding unity and stability to stamp out the embers of conflict, the stakes of a second Trump administration extend far beyond American borders; the next years could surpass all previous challenges and exacerbate the existing crises.

Trump’s insolent pledge to rule as a dictator from day one spells disaster. His agenda, no longer focused solely on economics, is now driven by personal vendettas and extreme biases. His proposed guidelines read like a dystopian nightmare: deporting homeless individuals, imposing death penalties on drug offenders, advocating for lethal “shoot and kill” force against petty criminals, and repatriating the children of illegal immigrants whom he accuses of “poisoning the blood of our country.”

Under the guise of combating the “deep state,” Trump aims to rule by decree, eroding the foundations of American democracy. His playbook, Project 2025, written by extreme-right think-tank the Heritage Foundation, includes purging dissenting voices from government institutions and consolidating power in the executive branch.

Trump’s international agenda promises further chaos. His reckless approach to diplomacy, including plans to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, conceding to Vladimir Putin, risks exacerbating global instability. His isolationist “America First and Only” approach pits nations against each other in a zero-sum game, fostering division and instability worldwide. His reckless disregard for international alliances, like NATO, further undermines global security, pushing allies towards what President Macron calls “strategic autonomy” from the US. This can only be read as future geopolitical tensions.

His neo-mercantilist economic agenda, marked by punitive tariffs and trade restrictions as the key to protecting living standards, risks triggering a global economic downturn, damaging both American allies and adversaries alike. The IMF estimates that a full fracturing of the global economy would wipe out 7% of global GDP. This return to mercantilism would benefit no one.

Ultimately, Trump’s resurgence threatens to unravel decades of progress and cooperation, plunging the world into chaos and uncertainty in a more protectionist and multipolar world.

And if that’s not enough, imagine enduring another four years of the man who believes climate change is a hoax and is determined to drill and burn as much oil and gas as possible, regardless of the consequences.

This is the path to the point of no return.

Climate Trap 2.0

If there was any lingering doubt over what’s at stake in this year’s US presidential election when it comes to the climate crisis, a recent policy announcement from the White House on January 26, 2024, makes it abundantly clear.

All new licenses for LNG export terminals are now on hold, pending updates to the criteria used to determine their “public interest” impact. The sheer scale of planned gas terminals could result in 3.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases annually. That’s the entire emissions of the European Union.

This move marks a monumental victory, not just for communities along the Gulf of Mexico coast but for the planet as a whole. It’s the most significant check any president has placed on the fossil fuel industry, signaling a decisive shift away from dirty energy. Big Oil tears all over.

If Biden was attempting to separate himself from Republicans in order to regain the support of climate-conscious voters, his probable opponent in November was willing to oblige.

A day after Biden’s LNG pause, Trump held a rally in Las Vegas. While his rhetoric has grown increasingly erratic, warning of an “invasion” of migrants along the southern border that needs to be curbed by an influx of German shepherd dogs, one thing remains consistent: his unwavering support for fossil fuels, promising to greenlight export terminals and dismantle Biden’s environmental mandates.

“I will approve the export terminals on my very first day back,” Trump said to cheers. “On day one, I will end crooked Joe Biden’s insane electric vehicle mandate.” He added: “We will drill, baby, drill.”

His cozy relationship with the oil and gas industry speaks volumes: Trump has raised nearly 10 times as much money from the oil and gas industry as his Republican candidate for US president rival Nikki Haley, Bloomberg reports.

Biden? Despite record oil production and profits during his White House tenure, industry donors have given just $635,000 to his re-election bid compared with the $7.37m they bestowed on Trump, according to an analysis from OpenSecrets.

Even the World Economic Forum acknowledges the existential threat posed by climate change, ranking extreme weather as the foremost risk in the decade ahead. Yet, as the friction of climate change grinds against the wheels of our economy, the fossil fuel industry shows no signs of relenting, doubling down on its destructive path.

Meanwhile, the world’s largest cumulative carbon polluter teeters on the brink of what would be a catastrophic blow to the climate, a.k.a Trump 2.0. Congressional Republicans have already signaled their intent to eliminate loss and damage funds. And have already written a climate plan even more stringent approach than his previous term: an evisceration of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the IRA repealed or at least throttled, the Paris climate agreement not just dead but buried, a zealous crackdown on federal climate science, a reversal of anti-pollution rules for cars and power plants. All while blocking efforts for a clean energy grid and putting the fossil fuel industry fox in the environmental henhouse by turning over-regulation of polluters to Republican state legislatures.

“One puts oneself above all and crushes everything in one’s way to get the best for oneself,” claimed the ruthless mantra in The Fountainhead.

And Donald followed suit.

A Defining Moment

For years, our relentless pursuit of growth has bulldozed through obstacles in the form of wars or pandemics like a speeding truck down a hill. But now, a looming climate crisis threatens to slam on the brakes, shaking our predatory capitalist systems and societal structures to the core. That’s what happens when you hit rock bottom, isn’t it? Trump 2.0 could be rock bottom.

The path forward is clear: it’s about cooperation.

Developing nations like India must commit to cutting emissions. But it all starts with the biggest polluters, like the U.S., leading by example. Follow the leader, plain and simple.

During the Obama era, despite Republican opposition, the President used executive authority to push for renewable energy and stricter emission rules. Progress was made, with even China agreeing to decommission coal-fired power plants.

But progress halted under Trump’s administration. His withdrawal from the Paris Agreement sent a message that the U.S. wasn’t serious about its climate promises, causing other nations to slack off too. Again: follow the leader, plain and simple.

Look at COP28 — a global charade with “historical” pledges full of evident loopholes and insulting funds worth less than football players. The trend is clear: to pretend to be part of a climate solution by making minor adjustments but, in reality, to be a problem trying to avoid being solved.

The world is changing. We’ve had record-breaking heat, but there’s hope. From clean energy to smart farming, we’re finding ways to blend climate goals with helping people out. Even within the fossil fuel industry, there’s been a turning point, with oil companies like Chevron admitting in court that “fossil fuels are the problem.”

This means we need YOU more than ever.

Our compounding and positively contagious habits and demands must stay strong, and avoid falling into the trap of doom and defeatism. Fight back with knowledge and passion. The world is waking up in response to the undeniable and devastating effects of our own actions, orchestrated by the ones who take real advantage of them. The Thunbergs and McKibbens, Desslers, and Hausfathers lead the charge, but it’s the collective “us” who support their backs.

A second Trump term would be game over for the climate.

The upcoming American election is not like any other. It will determine not only the course of the American experiment but the path civilization collectively follows. On the left is democracy and environmental stewardship. On the right is fascism and planetary devastation.

So, let’s reflect and then, with unwavering conviction, be persuasively loud.

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