Former President Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris debate
Energy markets face bifurcation point as US election looms
Either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will enter the White House as president in January 2025, and the gulf between their energy and climate policy agendas will have global implications
When Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the US in January 2017, he quickly set about undoing much of what had been achieved on energy and climate policy during Barack Obama’s two terms in office. In June 2017, Trump announced the US would cease all participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change—despite the country having been a leader in securing that agreement—beginning a four-year exit process and weakening international resolve to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Also in 2017, Trump signed an executive order requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review efforts to reduce emissions from electricity generation in the US under the Clean
Also in this section
24 March 2026
It is an unusual story of out with the new and in with the old, as America First Refining shows the US going back to trusted energy security developments
23 March 2026
A complex and sometimes contradictory web of factors that include unpredictable oil prices, the globalisation of LNG markets, the expansion of Middle Eastern sovereign capital and the growth of datacentre demand will shape the energy landscape beyond 2026
23 March 2026
The Strait of Hormuz crisis highlights how key waterways can become global chokepoints
20 March 2026
Attacks on key oil and LNG assets across the Gulf mean a prolonged supply disruption, with damage to Qatar’s export capacity undermining confidence in the global gas system
