New Orleans Trump’s Iranian war yo-yo continues to move up and down. Iran hunkered down. The Hormuz Strait still closed and others endangered. Oil back up again to $90 a barrel for Brent Crude. The stalemate continues, the bad news pours like rain. But, wait, there’s good news in some of the unintended consequences of Trump’s war and his slavish devotion to climate denial and fossil fuels. There are signs that countries and consumers in some areas are learning that they need to figure out ways to live and work by decreasing dependence.
For example, there are signs throughout Asia and Africa that sales of electric bikes and motorcycles are soaring to almost insatiable demand. In Pakistan, more than a million are being sold a year, even though somewhat more expensive that gas-operated, drivers are moving away from taking chances. In Cuba, enduring one blackout after another because of US sanctions and the blockade of oil deliveries from many countries, some of the sting is being abated by the development over the last several years of numbers of solar generated facilities delivered and installed by China. Electric cars built by China, Korea, and other countries are reportedly flooding the new car market in Europe and other countries because of price and the war, even as major US companies like GM and Ford have cutback on production or delayed and cancelled planned EV models for cars and light trucks.
One cycle dealer in Pakistan called Trump his “best salesman.” Wouldn’t you know that despite all of the tariff brouhaha and Trump’s commercial attacks on China that his policies and the war would hugely benefit Chinese exports and market dominant position in solar and electric transportation vehicles. How ironic is it on so many levels that even as Trump and his administration turn back climate protection and alternative energy development in the US, he has become the trigger for better climate policies globally. Unbelievable!
The backlash may not be only global. The heat waves in the US and Europe and the pressure they have exerted on the power grid, coupled with frenzied development of data center energy gobblers have made it harder for business, both large and small, to pretend to be climate deniers when they are forced to adapt in order to stay in business and serve their customers. Plug in solar is spreading. Backup solar and gas generators are becoming a home and business staple for many, not just those of us in hurricane and climate imperiled areas.
The real and manufactured crises of Trump time and his war have once again created the famous Richard Pryor conundrum for many families and businesses. Are we going to believe what we hear from the White House or follow the direction seen by our “lying eyes?” While Trump continues to promote and sell, fewer are buying and more are realizing that we must adapt and change to survive.