Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 6, and while his campaign focused largely on isolationism, immigration, crime and inflation, his previous record in the White House shows that he has ramped up domestic fossil-fuel production, weakened laws aimed at curbing pollution and overhauled environmental and health agencies. So what does Trump's re-election mean for the “global plastic ban”? What does it mean for the environment?
1. What does Trump's re-election mean for the “global plastic ban”?
Earlier this month, 64 percent of users in a non-scientific online poll conducted on the Collage website chose the election of Trump as president to be more favorable to the plastics industry.
The fifth session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) aimed at developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, was held in Busan, South Korea, from November 25 to December 1, 2024....
Trump Could Undermine “Global Plastic Ban”
Politico, a leading U.S. political news site, argues that the Trump administration will almost certainly be a spoiler of the upcoming U.N.-led binding global treaty to end plastic pollution. The fifth and final negotiating meeting will be held in Busan, South Korea, at the end of this month. In advance of that meeting, the Biden administration revealed a startling policy shift: in August, it announced that it would support a reduction in the production of new plastics, bringing it in line with the likes of Canada and the EU, which are involved in the negotiations. Not surprisingly, the plastics industry in general opposes this approach to reducing plastic pollution.
Regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, the United States has a poor record of ratifying international treaties. This reluctance will intensify under Trump. Euphemistically, he doesn't like transnational agreements that cut back on the production of any product, let alone fossil fuel products, which is surely out of the question.
U.S. may ally with Saudi Arabia, Russia
Rep. Jared Hoffman (D-Calif.), who joined the congressional delegation at the last round of negotiations in Ottawa, told Politico.com, “I think Trump's election really spells doom for a strong treaty, at least one that includes the United States. Under the Trump administration, there is no doubt that the U.S. will stand with Russia, Saudi Arabia, and other oil states, as well as the fossil fuel industry, in support of a treaty that may help to shape the good media cycle, but is really just a licensing structure for plastic pollution and for the fossil fuel industry to continue business as usual.”
Trump's victory would also be a major score for oil-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia, which have been accused of deliberately sabotaging U.N. negotiations, Politico added.
Negotiations will resume for a final round in Busan on Nov. 25, culminating in a final text for a global plastics treaty by the end of the year, Politico writes, adding that some observers expect the talks to be prolonged, allowing the Trump administration to “wield more influence.”
2. What does Trump's re-election mean for the environment?
On the international stage, a Trump presidency could significantly erode U.S. support for cutting plastic production through a global plastics treaty. He has already made clear his support for the fossil fuel industry by reducing greenhouse gas regulations on power plants and automobiles during his first term. The fossil fuel industry has been a major driver in defeating or shifting plastic bans and production caps.
During his first term, Trump also withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement on international climate change. While the Biden administration brought the U.S. back into the agreement, the Trump campaign has said it will withdraw again. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this week that would “weaken” the agreement.
More broadly, Trump has routinely denied the existence of human-caused climate change and installed climate change deniers in key positions during his first term. On his campaign trail, he repeatedly lied about sea level rise and other climate change impacts, and downplayed those threats in interviews. All of this comes as the U.S. is still picking up the pieces of Hurricane Helene and other storms that scientists say are being made more dangerous by a warming climate.
Dan Lashof, U.S. director of the World Resources Institute (WRI), said in a statement, “There is no denying that another Trump presidency will hamper the nation's efforts to address the climate crisis and protect the environment.” But he noted that clean energy and climate momentum are continuing in both blue and red states.
There is every reason for Trump to build on the transformation that has already taken place,” he said. Electrification of buildings and transportation, including school buses, benefits both rural and urban communities by reducing costs and increasing efficiency. At the same time, America's farmlands, wetlands, and forests desperately need more investment to protect them from increased wildfires, droughts, and floods.”
Trump also overturned dozens of environmental regulations other than greenhouse gases during his first term, including 28 on air pollution and eight on water pollution.
