Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency is “very worrisome” for the climate change agenda.
Guilbeault’s comments come as Trump continues to surge in the polls.
America’s carbon emissions decreased during Trump’s first term.
Guilbeault made the comments in an interview with iPolitics, where he was asked if he was worried about “the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House and re-opening protected areas in the Arctic for more drilling.”
Guilbeault boasted about how the Trudeau government has shown it can work with both Republicans and Democrats. He did however admit that he finds Trump troubling on the environmental front..
“There are some things that Trump and his team have put out that are very worrisome from an environmental perspective, whether it’s on climate or whether it’s on nature,” Guilbeault said. “You would like to think that nature should be a nonpartisan issue.”
He went on to say that “there’s nothing more conservative than conservation. The conservation movement was largely started by conservative people,” and that he’s “hoping that can be the case” in both the U.S. and Canada.
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that in 2019, the United States’ carbon dioxide emissions were at the lowest they had been since 1992, while per capita emissions were at a low not seen since 1950.
The drop in America’s carbon emissions came despite Trump pulling the United States out of the United Nations’ Paris accord.
Trump has also spoken favourably of hybrid vehicles, while also stressing the need for Americans to have consumer choice.
“We should sell electric, but we should also sell combustion engine gasoline cars. We can sell hybrids. The hybrids are fine,” said Trump in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
According to polling, Trump has a lead over incumbent Democrat president Joe Biden, who is currently dealing with a historically low approval rating.
The Real Clear Politics average puts Trump at 0.8% over Biden nationally, as well as ahead in several swing states Biden carried in 2020, including Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
