Donald Trump — along with a large majority of GOP congress critters — claim that AGW/CC (Anthropogenic Global Warming and related Climate Change) is either a hoax or not a threat to civilization.
With respect to vital mitigation measures — primarily energy conservation and replaceing oil and coal with cleaner energy sources, Trump has repeatedly done things like fighting against and disparaging wind farms and solar, and openly supports big coal and oil. Not only do those two energy sources contribute the most CO2 emissions, they don't create and maintain nearly as many jobs as the wind and solar industries. The world is changing over to cleaner energy sources, and the U.S. can either join the movement and compete for employment by solar, wind, and other manufacturing related businesses - or ignore a golden opportunity.
Unfortunately, Trump seems to think the “I win, you lose” is good, and “win-win” outcomes are bad — regardless of of the damage done to people with the I win — you lose model.
It is ironic that Trump supports the coal industry with it's many fewer jobs and high levels of pollution and CO2 emissions, and will apparently not support the wind and solar manufacturing and installation industries with their significant number of long term skilled and semi-skilled jobs. This would effectively hand over some of the future profits of those industries to China and other countries, and damage U.S. solar companies as noted in the below PV Magazine quote.
Pity the poor coal miners in West Virginia, because even if coal comes back as Trump promised, automation and heavy equipment will do most of the jobs, and that area will remain economically depressed with respect to the working class.
PV Magazine says: Trump will not be able to bring back coal in a meaningful way as he has promised, but he can significantly thwart solar if he and the Republican government decide to pre-emptively end the 30% solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which was recently extended to 2020.
Additionally, the federal research and development support for solar under the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative also has a dubious future from a man who thinks that solar panels have a 10-year lifespan and a 28-year payback period (switch these figures and it is closer to reality).
If there is a saving grace, it is that other than the ITC the most important policies for solar are at the state and not the national level. Trump’s presidency will not undo the renewable portfolio standards in California or New York, or the implementation of PURPA in North Carolina and Utah.
The solar industry will survive this, as the raw economics of solar will continue to pave the way for growth. The boom in the market in Texas is proof of this, as Texas� grid operator expects to install 13 GW of solar PV by 2030 – without any real subsidies at the state level.
But at the federal level the next four years will be ugly, and there could well be real damage to the solar industry.