The leaders of the United States and Britain find themselves at polar opposite ends when it comes to climate and energy policy, a stark contrast visible even amidst the pomp of President Trump’s state visit.
President Trump has formally announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, a global accord on climate change.
In contrast, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain has unveiled one of the most ambitious climate targets seen from any industrial economy. His government is committed to slashing the country’s climate pollution by an impressive 81 percent by 2035, measured against 1990 levels.
President Trump has vocally championed the resurgence of coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels. He has even gone so far as to order older coal-burning power plants to remain operational.
Meanwhile, Britain made history last year by closing its very last coal plant—a deeply symbolic move for the nation that spearheaded the industrial revolution over a century and a half ago. Many of these former coal plant sites are now being repurposed into battery farms, designed to store energy harnessed from solar and wind sources.
The approaches of the two leaders to renewable energy, which enjoys widespread public support in both nations, present a sharp divergence.
President Trump has actively undermined government support for clean energy projects domestically. Earlier this year, he publicly urged Britain to “get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil.”
Conversely, Mr. Starmer has expressed a clear ambition to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels and aiming for Britain to generate its electricity primarily from renewable energy sources by 2030. In fact, 2024 marked a significant milestone, as Britain generated just over half (50.8 percent) of its total energy from renewables for the first time, with wind power contributing the lion’s share.
However, on one crucial point, the two leaders appear to be in full agreement: nuclear energy.
Both Mr. Starmer and Mr. Trump have sealed a deal to construct more nuclear plants in Britain. Nuclear energy offers the benefit of producing no greenhouse gas emissions, thereby aiding Britain in achieving its climate objectives, despite ongoing concerns about safety and the disposal of radioactive waste.
Mr. Starmer’s administration has pledged to streamline the review process for new plant proposals. Similarly, Mr. Trump has issued executive orders designed to expedite the approval of nuclear reactors within the United States. It seems Mr. Starmer has adopted a page from the Trump administration’s playbook, heralding the agreement as ushering in a “golden age” of nuclear power, a sentiment echoing the “nuclear renaissance” championed by the Trump administration.