Scholz defends LNG expansion: Trump is switching to old energy policy!

On January 26, 2025, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented on the topic of energy supply and climate protection. Scholz criticized the US withdrawal from the Paris climate protection agreement, which he described as oppressive. He made it clear that Germany would continue its course in climate policy and spoke out against stopping the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in the USA. Scholz emphasized that it was good that this expansion was now being continued.

In a video address to the World Economic Forum, Donald Trump emphasized the need to expand US energy supplies, particularly domestic oil and gas production. He explained that the USA needs twice as much energy to enable the planned expansion of artificial intelligence. Shortly into his second term, Trump lifted a ban imposed by Joe Biden that restricted the exploration of new oil and gas offshore. This decision could potentially lead to lawsuits from environmental groups.

A look back at US climate policy

Donald Trump terminated the Paris Climate Agreement during his first term in office because he saw it as a competitive disadvantage. On the day of his inauguration, he signed a letter to the United Nations formally initiating the withdrawal. The agreement aims to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times. Joe Biden rejoined the agreement after taking office.

The withdrawal from the agreement is part of a broader executive order by Trump scrapping the country's existing climate policy. He instructed the US mission to the United Nations as well as the foreign and treasury ministries to stop all financial commitments under the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Experts suggest that the possible Trump effect on global warming could be 0.04 degrees by the end of the century, assuming only the US changes course.

The next climate conference will take place in Brazil in November 2025. Meanwhile, the international community is watching with concern how energy policy decisions under Trump's second term will impact climate protection. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke described the USA's withdrawal from the agreement as a serious setback for global climate protection, while Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act has already pushed forward the expansion of wind and solar energy in the USA.