Climate crisis: General Motors moves away from Trump

General Motors moves away from Trump and is committed to climate protection

The automaker General Motors is backing down from the Trump administration’s fight against tougher consumption regulations in California. This is also a success for the new president Joe Biden.

Joe Biden takes the weather seriously. On his first day as president, he wants to reverse the US exit from the Paris climate agreement. On Monday he appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry – a friend for days with the Senate – what is known as the “climate bazaar”, that is, the special envoy for the climate crisis.

With this, the president-elect is signaling that fighting climate change is his top priority. Biden can count on the support of the economy: the largest US carmaker General Motors also announced Monday that they no longer fight with the Trump board against tougher consumer rules.

The withdrawal will take place “immediately,” GM CEO Mary Barra announced in a letter to key environmental organizations. He expressly supported a statement by President-elect Joe Biden, that the United States, with the transition to electric vehicles, “will again dominate the automobile market in the 21st century”.

California versus Trump

The trial was “a public humiliation” for Trump, wrote the “New York Times”. Since taking office, the president-elect has made a name for himself as a proponent of fossil fuels and has described climate change as a “hoax”. In doing so, he gradually softened the stricter environmental guidelines issued by his predecessor Barack Obama.

This also applies to the fuel consumption of new cars. According to the guidelines of the Obama administration, average consumption is expected to decrease significantly by 2025. Donald Trump, on the other hand, wanted to freeze it at the 2020 value. At which California has decided to tighten emission standards on its own initiative.

In terms of population, the largest US state in terms of population has struck a deal with manufacturers Ford, Honda, BMW, Volkswagen and Volvo, which was based on Obama’s guidelines with small cuts. California has been allowed to enact tougher regulations since 1968 due to the threat of smog in Los Angeles. The Trump administration wanted to cancel this privilege.

It was argued by General Motors, Toyota and Fiat Chrysler, who argued that uniform rules should be applied in the United States. This, in turn, hasn’t left California alone. Last year, the Golden State and 23 other states filed a lawsuit against federal government attempts to curtail its powers.

Electric offensive from GM

With the deselection of Donald Trump and the departure of GM, the cards are likely to be reshuffled. A Toyota spokesperson wrote to the New York Times that the situation would be “reassessed” but would continue to aim for uniform consumption rules across all 50 states. Fiat Chrysler declined to comment.

Just last week, GM announced a true electric offensive. By 2025, 40% of the model range in the United States is expected to be battery-operated cars. Investments in this area will have increased by a third to $ 27 billion. “Climate change is real and we want to be part of the solution,” said Mary Barra.

Soon across the country

It would be a real cultural shift, because General Motors was previously not known as a major sponsor of electric cars. Also last week, the Michigan company had to recall tens of thousands of Chevrolet Bolt EV electric vehicles due to the risk of battery fires. So far, GM has made a lot of money on SUVs and pickups.

New President Joe Biden welcomed the change of course announced by Mary Barra in a statement on Monday. Observers expect it will extend California’s deal with automakers across the country. Officer in charge Mary Nichols is considered a possible director of the EPA in Biden’s government.