The US Continues To Be At Odds With Its Allies Over Renewable Energy

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To hear Donald Trump brag about it, you’d think that coal is an energy savior. After all, he has recently signed four executive orders aimed at increasing coal production and saving coal-burning power plants from retirement. Yet what the Trump administration isn’t admitting is that the growth of solar has pushed renewables past coal in unexpected areas, like the regional grid that includes West Virginia. In the market that includes West Virginia and part or all of twelve other states and the District of Columbia, the truth about renewable energy is clear: renewables now generate more electricity than coal. Sure, gas and nuclear are currently the two dominant sources of power in the region. But the region has leaned more than ever before to renewables. With 65 million people, this is the nation’s largest regional electricity market.

The Trumpsters just refuse to see the renewable energy light.

Clean energy stops the demise of the planet’s health. It is sourced from renewables, so it doesn’t get depleted. Once installed, it is cost-effective for consumers. It has created new industries and jobs. With all of these benefits, you’d think that energy suppliers would be raving about the transition to clean energy, right? Instead, we are bombarded with climate disinformation, so the truth about renewable energy is buried by lies, manipulation, and misstatements.

Renewables are a win-win situation for everyone — except the fossil fuel industry. Big Oil faces an existential threat from clean energy, so carefully designed narratives that question the truth about clean energy are pervasive and persuasive. Yet the Trump administration fails to recognize the bigger picture of clean energy in its transactional appeasement of financial backers. It has gone so far as to terminate federal employees in charge of US global climate policy and climate aid as part of its reorganization of the State Department, as reported by Reuters.

The US and the US Butt Heads over Climate Data

The US is part of more than 60 countries that gathered this week in London to discuss the future of global energy security. Trade and geopolitics glared as a foundational clash between US and European priorities, which Eamon Drumm rexamined at GMF. While the Trump administration is all about global dependence on its oil and gas exports, European countries and the EU are looking for pathways to to reduce their reliance on imported fossil fuels while keeping energy prices affordable and maintaining their competitiveness.

Europe is making strides to invest in clean power, energy retrofits, and EVs, but it still drew 58% of its energy needs by net imports of fossil fuels in 2024. Now, Europe faces the uncomfortable reality of straddling not one, but two unreliable fossil fuel powers: Russian and the US.  Last month the US demanded $350 billion in EU energy purchases as a condition for easing trade tensions. And, while Europe has slashed pipeline imports, Russian LNG shipments have quietly surged over the past two years.

In a statement, the Climate Group outlined the need for Europe to continue to explore the merits of renewable energy. Citing trade disruptions in sectors ranging “from basic commodities to high tech electronics,” the Group suggested that a closer look importing fossil fuels would be eye-opening.

“Taking a holistic approach, we need a framework that captures the most cost-effective and sustainable solutions to energy security – and helps reduce dependencies on volatile global oil and gas markets,” the Group continued. Among its suggestions to make the move toward renewable energy, they argued that “it starts with renewables. Wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower, complemented by battery storage and possibly other emerging technologies such as green hydrogen. Governments need to urgently break down barriers that prevent this transition from happening, and the energy needs to be affordable and accessible to all.”

As part of their quest to undermine such momentum toward the clean energy upswing, Trump administration officials have sparred at the gathering with the International Energy Agency. The Trumpsters want to block data that the US government feels is favorable to renewable energy over fossil fuels. US officials have strong-armed the Agency, which publishes influential energy market forecasts, to halt its work promoting the global shift to clean power and net zero carbon emissions.

“At the board meetings of the IEA … the US have been really unconstructive,” one European official told Politico. That included discouraging any project “that is not about fossil fuels.” The official characterized the US position as “let’s weaken or disable the IEA unless they’re working on our values — which is the same approach that they’ve taken to every other international organization.”

In an emailed statement, the IEA responded.

“The IEA Secretariat’s current program of work is based on the mandates from our Member countries, as agreed at our last Ministerial in February 2024. The IEA Secretariat will continue to take into account feedback from all 32 Member countries on their priorities for the Agency going forward.”

Business Leaders Should Focus on ROI and Renewable Energy

Charlotte Degot, CEO of CO2 AI, writes in an editorial for Sustainability that no longer should sustainability be viewed as a line item rather than a strategic driver of business growth. “That perception must change,” Degot argues, “because the numbers tell a different story. The return on investment for sustainability is undeniable because we have the data to prove it.”

That data refutes recent media narratives that companies are pulling away from their original climate commitments. “The reality is quite the opposite,” Degot explains.

• 84% of public companies are maintaining or accelerating their climate targets.
• More companies than ever are making commitments—over 4,000 companies reported through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in 2024, a 9x increase in just five years.
• Ambition is growing—37% of companies are increasing their climate goals, while only 16% are scaling back.
• Low-carbon innovation is thriving—83% of companies are investing in eco-design and sustainable R&D because products with sustainability attributes drive 6% to 25%+ higher revenue than conventional alternatives.
• Commitments persist through leadership changes—the survey found that climate commitments stick, even if leadership changes.
• 25% of companies reported annual decarbonization benefits worth at least 7%+ of sales. This equates to about $200 million in net benefits after investment.