How Trump led a clean energy revolution despite himself

The Iran war is forcing à global adoption of renewable power to offset oil prices

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Photo: Kevin Key/flickr.

(Mark Hulbert, an author and longtime investment columnist, is the founder of the Hulbert Financial Digest; his Hulbert Ratings audits investment newsletter returns.)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Callaway Climate Insights) — It may be going too far to say that President Donald Trump has been a blessing to the renewable energy industry. But it’s an ill wind that blows no good, and it’s recently become clear that the industry has benefitted in several significant ways from his policies.

Take the Iran war. It showed countries around the world that they couldn’t count on a regular flow of fossil fuels from the Middle East, or count on the U.S. to be a reliable ally in protecting access to energy supplies. The urgency of this realization has proven to be far more persuasive than any statistical forecasts about long-term climate trends. Necessity is the mother of invention, and she is birthing a critical push toward renewables.

Spain stands out as a case study on how a major push towards renewables can pay handsome dividends — and not just many decades in the future but within a few short years.