"Trump presidency may spell disaster for climate", 9 Nov 2016

The election of Donald Trump may prove a disaster for the climate and especially for climate change negotiations if he sticks to the threats made during his campaign. But it may provide the developing world – especially China – with an opportunity to take on the role of leader in the fight against climate change. If Trump’s campaign trail promises come true then on his first day in office, the new President may rescind Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, “end the war on coal” and cut funding for renewables…Overturning the Clean Power Plan may not be easy. The move would likely be challenged and the case could drag on for over a year, according to experts in Washington. For the rest of the world though, the Clean Power Plan is the part that concerns people the least, as it is mostly a domestic effort.

The biggest setback to the global fight against climate change will be if Trump actually withdraws the US from the Paris Agreement. Legally, he may find it easier to do this because the US promise to be a part of the agreement is based on an executive order by Obama. As the next president, Trump could withdraw that order…