Trump just wants to ‘drill, baby, drill’

The one thing to understand about Donald Trump’s cancellation of the multibillion-rand Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with South Africa is that it is not personal.

The US president hates anything “green” and his oil industry-inspired mantra is “drill, baby, drill!”

This cancellation has nothing to do with his disapproval of our alleged “white genocide” or alleged race laws or whatever AfriForum is bleating that they need American protection from.

This is purely because Trump, like his supporters and the fabulously wealthy oligarchs who fund him, is a climate change denier.

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The JETP agreement was inked during the presidency of Joe Biden, comprising $56 million (about R1 billion) in grant funds and $1 billion in potential commercial investments by the US International Development Finance Corporation.

The withdrawal will mark a significant setback to advocates of a cleaner energy mix… especially because, like many of the other conservatives the Trump administration has encouraged to crawl out of the woodwork, local advocates of fossil fuel as our main energy source will become more vocal.

People like Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, for example…

There is, however, a strong argument to be made that a developing country with abundant sources of hydrocarbons – as we do with our coal reserves – should use these to improve the economy and, in turn, lift our people from poverty.

ALSO READ: Will Trump’s tariffs have major negative effect on South Africa’s economy?

There is some merit in the suggestion that alternative energy sources can be costly in the short to medium term and hinder economic growth.

In the long run, however, we have to realise two things: Trump won’t be there forever but climate change will – and America won’t always be there to give us a hand.

That’s why, as will happen when our exports are crimped by Trump’s coming tariff regime, we should start looking elsewhere to countries we can rely on.

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