The cream of the American elite gathered on Capitol Hill rose to their feet as Donald Trump repeated his campaign slogan at his inauguration on Monday, January 20: "We will drill, baby, drill!" In a speech from which the word "climate" was completely absent, the president reiterated his motto in favor of massive hydrocarbon extraction, and, that evening, signed an executive order declaring a "national energy emergency."

"We have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have – the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on earth – and we are going to use it.  We'll use it. We will bring prices down, fill our strategic reserves up again right to the top, and export American energy all over the world. We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it," said Trump, who has vowed to put an end to the Green New Deal, Joe Biden's energy transition program.

In the evening, in front of fans gathered in a Washington sports stadium, he signed two more executive orders: The first formalized the US's exit from the Paris Climate Agreements and the end of US funding for it – the second such withdrawal – and the other notifying the United Nations of this decision. The US must give one year's notice before leaving the non-binding agreement.

You have 76.82% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.