The brave new world of energy and natural resources development

The world of energy and natural resources development has changed a great deal over the past 30 months, perhaps more so than in the preceding 30 years. Beginning with the June 2016 vote in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union and continuing through today, there are global signs of increasing emphasis on protecting national sovereignty and less on world efforts to address major environmental and energy issues. Admittedly, the United Nations-based effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions continues to move forward. However, more than a few nations are hinting that they may not live up to their commitments agreed in the form of the Paris Climate Agreement. There is no clearer example than the United States, where since January 2017 President Donald Trump has taken steps to deconstruct the US federal government’s role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This article – current as of 1 December – takes account of what is happening around the world in terms of major political changes that will affect the world’s ability to address environmental challenges. Special attention is devoted to what is happening in the US under the Trump administration. The final part of the article analyses the impact of the November 2018 midterm election that will see Democrats take charge of the US House of Representatives in January 2019 and the Trump administration environmental, energy and natural resources agenda