US climate and other policies threaten global future

A country should not be governed like a greedy private business, free from all restrictions, standards and human values, aiming only to achieve quick profits. The worst is when this comes at the cost of depleting natural resources, through enticement and intimidation to exploit the economic and security vulnerabilities of other countries.

In doing so, they destroy the natural balance and deprive future generations of their right to a healthy environment. Climate change policies are perhaps the most striking example of this moral decline.

The current level of decay in US climate policy is unprecedented. Although the environment and climate were not at the forefront of George W. Bush's presidency from 2001 to 2009, the United States did not obstruct global negotiations.

Bush was keen to maintain his country’s position as an active player in the international community, while demanding burden-sharing among countries in line with his administration's concept of justice, despite refusing to admit his country’s historic responsibility for emissions — thus refusing the principle of compensation for damages.

Conversely, he allocated large budgets for scientific research, including those related to the environment, clean energy, and climate, alongside preserving academic freedoms. His policies were based on combating environmental and climate degradation through technology, not by reducing emissions and changing consumption patterns, in a society that prides itself on its consumerist values.

Today, we are witnessing an unprecedented scene in that country: the politicization of scientific research and the repression of researchers and universities. This is not limited to the imprisonment, and even deportation, of anyone the current US administration considers to be opposed to its policies, but extends to cutting off research budgets for universities that refuse to surrender to political guidelines.

In the areas of renewable energy, climate change, and the environment in general, the US administration has withdrawn hundreds of billions from programs designed to support research and boost the transition to clean energy. The cuts covered many other areas, including medical research, humanities and international law. This has already accelerated a serious brain drain, with thousands of students and researchers looking for opportunities outside the US.

Among the most bizarre measures, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that it would stop tracking the costs of climate crisis-fuelled disasters, including floods, heat waves, and wildfires, thus halting updates to its weather database — as if burying the numbers makes the problem go away.

In April, the White House signed an executive order allowing commercial deep-sea mining, within US and in international waters, regardless of the ensuing environmental impact on a fragile ecosystem. This unprecedented act, which has been considered a blunt violation of international law, was preceded by eliminating restrictions on oil, gas and coal exploration in protected areas.

Under another executive order, US President Donald Trump repealed household water efficiency requirements, which restrict the amount of water allowed in shower heads, faucets, dishwashers, toilets, and washing machines. Ironically, on the day he signed this "water order", hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza were facing death due to thirst, whereas 2 billion people around the world lack access to clean water, and nearly 4 billion lack minimum sanitation, according to the United Nations.

In another executive order, Trump cancelled $8 billion in clean energy programs.

While the civilized world stands in shock at these measures, which, according to the White House, aim to "Make America Great Again," the US announced new sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), threatening to punish countries and organizations cooperating with it. The ICC’s fault has been issuing rulings for blunt crimes against humanity committed by allies of the US.

One other practice of rogue expansionist states is to create and fuel conflicts in other countries, as a pretext to sell weapons and the illusion of protection, in return for exploiting their resources at the cheapest price in an extortionist manner.

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Stopping research funding and hiding figures on climate change and environmental degradation will not alter the reality confronting the world. Any easing of climate action today will have to be compensated in the future with stronger, painful measures. A president will come and go, while climate change is an established reality.

As happened during Trump’s first term, the US retreat will invite other countries to fill the gap, particularly in the fields of renewable energy and efficiency. Americans will discover, albeit too late, that they sacrificed their competitiveness for short-term gains.

Let us not forget that China's rapid rise in renewable energy began during the George W. Bush administration’s loose climate policies, leading to China's global leadership in solar and wind energy, as well as in electric vehicles. China was quick to read the writing on the wall when it chose to invest in the future, and all countries should do the same. Arbitrary tariffs will not compensate for the failures caused by short-sighted policies, especially when a country loses its competitive edge.

Real estate developers must recognize that countries and civilizations are not commodities for sale, and that bullying policies are unsustainable. Governments that care about their people's interests must develop their own capabilities and build alliances that preserve their sovereignty and rights to their natural resources.

The author is secretary general of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) and editor-in-chief of Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia magazine.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.