Trump claims victory in US election: comment

Commenting on the news that Donald Trump is set to win the US election, Gareth Redmond-King, Head of International Programme at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “Since the 2016 election when Trump was elected, the amount of renewable energy globally has more than doubled, and momentum has only grown. [1] 

“With growth in clean energy investment currently double that of fossil fuels, the International Energy Agency predicts fossil fuel demand will peak in just six years time, and then fall. [2] Costs of EVs, heat pumps and clean power generation are plummeting. The EU’s efforts to deploy these technologies saw it cut emissions by more than 8% last year. [3] 

“While impacts could be felt, Trump failed to halt the clean energy transition last time. And what’s more, the people who could be most harmed by any efforts to do just that would be the very people who voted for him. 85% of investments under Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, and two thirds of the jobs it has created, have been in Republican-voting parts of America. [4] Renewables jobs have risen 40% so far during the Biden administration, as investment in renewables has gone up nearly a third.” 

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. IEA Renewable Energy Progress Tracker: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/renewable-energy-progress-tracker 

2. IEA World Energy Outlook: https://www.iea.org/news/geopolitical-tensions-are-laying-bare-fragilities-in-the-global-energy-system-reinforcing-need-for-faster-expansion-of-clean-energy 

3. EU greenhouse gas emissions fell by over 8% in 2023: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_5605 

4. Inflation Reduction Act Two Years Later: America’s Best Climate Action: https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2024/08/18/inflation-reduction-act-two-years-later-americas-best-climate-action/ 

5. White House fact sheet Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/08/16/fact-sheet-one-year-in-president-bidens-inflation-reduction-act-is-driving-historic-climate-action-and-investing-in-america-to-create-good-paying-jobs-and-reduce-costs/

For more information or for interview requests:

George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: +44 (0)7894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net