Viewpoint: Turning America into a banana republic

Sneed Collard

Trump’s new budget contains breathtaking provisions to put more wealth into the hands of the few while leaving the rest of us in the dust economically. It was shrewdly and cleverly executed, delaying many of its most damaging provisions until after the next election. It left no doubt that Trump and his vassals are looking out for themselves, not the average, hard-working American. In the bigger picture, however, Trump’s Big Obscene Bill does something far more insidious: it puts America on the path to being an underdeveloped nation.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the bill’s provisions to disembowel our nation’s clean energy industry and force us back into a total dependency on fossil fuels. From Trump’s narrow perspective, the move makes sense. His born-again enthusiasm for fossil fuels rewards the petroleum industry that generously financed his campaign. For the rest of us, these moves are both a short- and long-term disaster.

Let’s for a moment set aside the devastating impacts that fossil fuels are having on our climate. By disemboweling our clean energy industry, Trump also surrenders our economic future to China. I am no fan of China, but what it has accomplished economically and technologically is truly impressive. Instead of going along with the self-serving, blatantly false proclamations by the likes of Trump and oil company executives, China’s leaders have recognized that pursuing clean energy can help humanity save its skin and be the centerpiece of a flourishing economy.

Just compare the two strategies. Trump is trying to strong-arm other nations into buying our climate-killing coal, oil, and natural gas, correctly realizing that we have a lot of this stuff and can make money selling it. But there are two big problems with this. One is that other countries realize that importing trillions of dollars of fossil fuels will keep them both poor and vulnerable to the whims of highly unpredictable US policies.

The second problem is that dismantling our clean energy industry transforms the United States into a kind of banana republic of fossil fuels. Instead of being at the forefront of technology and innovation, we become merely a provider of raw materials—materials that the rest of the world is turning away from. How have other nations fared with a similar economic strategy? Not too well. Consider Venezuela, Nigeria, Iran, Russia. Only those countries that also continue to invest in new technology have a chance to thrive.

Which brings us back to China, which has become the undisputed leader in selling solar, wind, battery, and electric vehicle technology—all things that other nations need, want, and are implementing at breathtaking speed. How has China achieved this dominance? Through long-term support and investment in research and manufacturing. In doing so, China has not only created a robust economy that supports the world’s second-largest population, it has gained incredible political, economic, and military clout throughout the globe.

For all its critics, the Biden administration recognized this precarious situation. By investing in clean energy, the last administration gave the US a fair shot at competing with China and setting a positive trajectory for our future. With a single signature, Trump and his Republican minions have undone all of that, and no amount of climate denial and flag-waving is going to fix it. Only a determined effort to support scientific research and smart manufacturing gives us a chance. That, however, can only happen by continuing to invest in the future—and by ousting Montana’s representatives who helped force us into this catastrophic situation.

Sneed Collard is a writer from Missoula.