Europe, Global Leadership and the Challenge of Climate Change

election results, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel was far more vocal. On January 7, she expressed her frustration with Trump’s failure to concede the election stating, “[Trump] stoked uncertainties about the election outcome, and that created an atmosphere that made the events

of last night possible.”143 Right-wing politicians, including Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of

Hungary, were notably silent on the storming of the capitol.144

The attack on the democratic process was ultimately ineffective. Although delayed by

several hours, the U.S. Senate’s certification process was completed that night, with then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stating, “They tried to disrupt our democracy. They failed.”145

Although the democratic institutions of the U.S. have no doubt survived previous tumultuous

election periods, they were challenged like never before, and this incident will remain engraved

in the minds of many Americans and Europeans. Whether these institutions will face similar hurdles in the future remains to be seen, but the chasm in international trust that these events

have wrought must be immediately addressed.

As European notions of American democracy are less favorable than Americans may

have hoped, there is one concern that is certain to unite efforts between both parties: climate

change. Although Trump fostered indifferent and explicitly dismissive attitudes towards the

environmental crisis, Biden has vocalized his intent to prioritize this issue. If he takes swift and meaningful action on climate, Biden has the opportunity to make gains in restoring European trust in an American partnership on international issues.

THE EU ROLE AND TRUMP’S LEGACY The EU public at large has demanded increased action from their elected officials in combating the climate crisis. A 2019 survey conducted by Eurobarometer on behalf of

the European Commission found that 92% of respondents felt it was important that their

governments set ambitious renewable energy targets. The same percentage agreed that

greenhouse gases should be reduced to make the EU economy climate neutral by 2050, a goal

set as part of the European Green Deal.146 In response to this resounding call to further address

climate change, the European Commission has proposed the European Climate Law to legislate

the progressive climate goals of the European Green Deal and Paris Climate Agreement.147

The President of the European Council, amongst many other European leaders, criticized

Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, stating that “the fight against climate change would continue with or without the U.S.”148 In Germany, the Green Party has

“continually expressed distinct frustration with Trump’s denial of climate change.”149 Moreover,

“many Norwegians have been concerned with both the Trump administration’s inaction on

climate change and its preference for unilateralism,” while “the vast majority of Spaniards disapproved of Trump’s decisions to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.”150 The EU quickly

found it difficult, if not impossible, to negotiate with President Trump on issues related to climate change, and the international coalition sees the changing administration as an opportunity for

renewed climate collaboration.

EUROPEAN TRUST THROUGH SUSTAINABILITY Biden’s campaign promised to address climate change head-on through his “Clean Energy Revolution” plan, which focuses on establishing the U.S. as a completely clean energy economy and on reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.151 Hours following his inauguration, he

signed 17 executive orders, including rejoining the Paris Agreement and asking federal agencies

to reverse over 100 of Trump’s environmental policies.152 These reversals included reduction of

methane emissions, instatement of air protection standards, restoration of national monuments

and Arctic refuge from the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program, all of which are welcome

changes for European policy-makers.153

While rejoining the Paris Agreement is an important move for the new Biden administration, it is by no means the ultimate solution to the climate crisis. With the U.S. taking a markedly more climate-friendly approach, the EU hopes Biden will make a “coordinated effort” to pay the remaining $2 trillion of Obama’s pledge to the Green Climate Fund that Trump ignored.154 For the EU to be satisfied, Biden must demonstrate a climate agenda more robust and

aggressive than the two previous presidents, as well as a willingness to work in concert with

China, India, Mexico, Brazil, and Canada.155

Though Biden has displayed his readiness to reestablish climate alliances and while European leaders look favorably on his promise to tackle climate change, Biden’s rhetoric must be supported by policy and action to begin to rebuild European trust in American leadership.

American support in addressing the climate crisis is essential, as the success of this effort is

dependent on the full, coordinated commitment of all countries. American leadership in the

climate crisis may serve as an incentive to nations with particularly poor environmental records

to fall in line, and it is imperative that Europe and the U.S. take a unified stance on this issue. Without full cooperation from signatories and members, agreements such as the Paris Agreement will be rendered as little more than symbolic efforts to halt a seemingly unstoppable catastrophe.

EUROPEAN OUTLOOK ON FUTURE PLANS In the space created by waning American leadership on climate, European leaders,

and the EU specifically, have seized the opportunity to stand as the global leadership in the fight against climate change. The proposed European Green Deal solidifies this vision, galvanizing EU member states to pursue grander environmental ambitions in response to the

European Parliament’s declaration of a climate emergency in November 2019 while stressing

the potential for the crisis to create new economic opportunities. President of the European

Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has stated that the European Green Deal is “Europe’s new

growth strategy.”156 The Commission has recognized the difficulties it may face in achieving these goals for regions currently dependent on fossil fuels, and it plans to set aside at least

€100 billion as part of the Just Transition Mechanism.157 The Parliament also called for a

“WTO-compliant carbon border adjustment mechanism” to protect European economies and industries from competing with countries less committed to similarly ambitious environmental

policy.158 Currently, the European Green Deal is a nonbinding resolution although the

Commission proposed to make this deal legally binding in March 2021, as part of the European

Climate Law.159