The US president has done more than anyone to accelerate the collapse of the fossil fuel system
The US president has done more than anyone to accelerate the collapse of the fossil fuel system. The bittersweet joke in energy circles is that the Nobel committee should create a new climate prize to reward Donald Trump for his outstanding services. Nobody has done more to accelerate the world’s electrotech revolution and pull forward the irreversible collapse of the oil and gas industry – not even Greta Thunberg, Al Gore or the strategic planners of the Chinese Communist Party. Currie says the elemental contract of the petrodollar system is, or was, that the US would keep the sea lanes open and protect oil and gas producers from all foes. In return, the petrostates would recycle their vast earnings into US Treasuries and Wall Street, letting America enjoy the exorbitant privilege of inexhaustible cheap capital. “The grand bargain has been violated,” he said. You might think that US oil and gas companies would be celebrating the windfall profits of Trump’s war, but the moo...