The election of Donald Trump as president for a second time and Republicans’ takeover of the U.S. Senate could undo many of the nation’s climate policies that most reduce greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming, climate solutions experts say.

When they list the measures that make the most difference, it matches the policies Trump said he would target.

These setbacks will come as more lives are lost to heat waves, as record amounts of climate pollution accumulate in the atmosphere, as the United States has been hit by what could be two of its worst hurricanes. more expensive and that nations will meet in Baku. , Azerbaijan next week for climate negotiations, have failed to take strong steps to change these realities.

Here are some of the measures.

The Inflation Reduction Act, the country’s historic climate law

This law is important as it is expected to reduce U.S. emissions by about 40% by 2030, if it proceeds as planned in the coming years.

It channels money into measures to replace dirty energy with clean energy. One of the main ways to do this is to provide credit to businessmen who build new solar and wind farms.

But it is not limited to that. It encourages geothermal energy developers and companies to separate carbon dioxide from their smokestacks and bury it underground. This encourages the next generation of nuclear power. It provides a $7,500 tax credit to people who buy electric cars. People who buy their car used can also get credit, provided they don’t make too much money to qualify.

Trump, on the other hand, summarized his energy policy as follows: “drill, baby, drill” and pledged to dismantle what he calls Democrats’ “new green scam” of increasing production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, the main causes of climate change.

He pledges to end wind energy subsidies that were included in the landmark 2022 climate law.

If Trump does indeed target the climate law, some provisions are probably safe. One of them is a credit for advanced manufacturing companies because they are seen as “an American first and pro-American company,” said David Shepheard, a partner and energy expert at the global consultant Baringa. Incentives for electric vehicles are probably most at risk, he added.

In a phone call Wednesday morning, Scott Segal, head of a communications group at the law firm Bracewell LLP, which represents the energy sector, said the climate law likely would not be repealed.

Dan Jasper, senior policy adviser at Project Drawdown, said repealing parts of the climate law could backfire because most investment and jobs are in Republican congressional districts.

Pollution from power plants

The main American rule to reduce climate change this comes from the production of electricity in power plants that burn coal is also considered vulnerable. This Environmental Protection Agency rule, announced in April, would force many coal plants to capture 90% of their carbon emissions or close their doors within eight years, Shepheard said.

This was projected to reduce around 1.38 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2047, as well as tens of thousands of tonnes of other harmful air pollutants.

Industry groups and Republican-controlled states have filed legal challenges to a host of EPA rules, including this one, and Trump’s victory means the Justice Department is unlikely to defend them .

Under a Trump presidency, it is unlikely to survive, Shepheard said.

The United States has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions primarily by replacing coal-fired power plants with clean, renewable energy, said Rob Jackson, a climate scientist at Stanford University who chairs the Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists who monitor countries’ carbon dioxide emissions.

“I hope we don’t lose sight of the benefits of clean energy,” he said. “It’s not just a question of climate. It is about our lives and our health.

Limit leaks of harmful methane or natural gas

The Biden administration was under pressure to reduce one of the main pollutants contributing to drought, heat waves, floods and more powerful hurricanes – methane or natural gas. It escapes from oil and gas equipment, sometimes deliberately when companies deem it too expensive to transport.

The Biden administration released the first national rules about this.

Industry groups and Republican-leaning states have challenged the rule in court. They say the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority and set unattainable standards.

The EPA said the rules fell squarely within its legal responsibilities and would protect the public.