In some ways it’s fortunate for humanity that no one is able to enter the mind of Donald Trump. In other ways it’s unfortunate that no one is able to predict what he’ll do next, or why.
His unprovoked attack on Venezuela, followed by his unprovoked attack on Iran (whilst negotiations were ongoing, and according to one UK security adviser, were about to reach a deal prior to the invasion), have raised questions about his motives. Yes, both countries were under authoritarian regimes who treated their people abhorrently – of this there is no question. But was Donald Trump – and I imagine there is little point in asking this – acting for altruistic reasons to help people suffering under tyranny? Or was there another reason?
I think a fair argument could be made for the latter, particularly as Venezuela and Iran are known for their oil reserves and oil production (Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves, accounting for around 17% of all known oil reserves on the planet. Iran has the world’s third largest oil reserves, and is the sixth largest oil producer). Trump also gave an interview with the Financial Times, where he said, “My favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran.” A fairly straightforward case then.
But, such an argument may be redundant, given that there is a growing belief that he may have dementia, thus trying to understand the logic behind his illegal invasions becomes somewhat irrelevant. His fitness for office though is another thing entirely.
Nonetheless, the war in Iran has sent oil prices soaring, which means that oil companies are set to rake in a windfall of billions. This will send costs spiralling for ordinary citizens around the world, as prices of fuel, transport, and everyday essentials appear set to increase – all for a war that only the US and Israel wanted.
I think back to the Iraq war in 2003 which was fought for oil, I think of the many global conflicts that are being waged over fossil fuels, and then I think about the most recent attacks on Venezuela and Iran, and I can’t help compare that to the complete lack of wars fought over renewable energy. To the best of my knowledge, there hasn’t been a single international conflict over solar power or wind power. I can’t think of any war that has been fought over renewables (although climate change may result in wars over water resources and thus hydropower facilities). Why is that?
“Sunlight travels 93 million miles to reach the earth. None of them through the Strait of Hormuz.” – Bill McKibben on Substack.
No one country controls where sunlight falls, where the wind blows, or the movement of the tides. Renewables use what nature has provided to power our civilisation. There is little point fighting a war over solar energy as sunlight reaches every part of the planet. The wind will blow through every country. Renewables are therefore linked to a more peaceable world. So why aren’t we moving towards this greener future? What is the hold-up?
Consider this; we’ve known about the climate crisis since 1988, when Dr James Hansen gave his Senate testimony on climate change. That was 38 years ago for anyone keeping track. Nearly four decades have passed, with successive governments across the world failing to tackle one of the two most urgent crises we face.
Since then, the world has come together for 30 annual COP climate summits, starting all the way back in 1995. Politicians have continued to play politics for all that time, to the extent that the agreement at COP30 never mentioned the phrase “fossil fuels” as being the cause of the climate crisis. It’s absolute madness. Or perhaps less so, when you understand just how powerful the fossil fuel lobby groups are.
At COP28 in 2023, a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists (2,456) were in attendance at the climate talks. The people responsible for causing the crisis, were given the opportunity to influence and obfuscate any potential action. We also known that the oil and gas industry has spent $3.1 billion on federal lobbying in the US between 1998 and 2025. Aside from this enormous lobbying effort, they’ve sought to deny the existence of the climate crisis, by sowing doubt about the science, and delaying action when it seems inevitable.
And so, in 2026, with nearly 40 years of ignored scientific warnings behind us, we find ourselves still reliant on these fossil fuels which are pushing us towards climate chaos. Emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide all reached record levels in 2024. And now energy prices are spiking because of these wars targeting major oil producing countries. If there is non-human life out there, it must look at our species and think we’re insane.
Given how fossil fuel corporations have become embedded in politics (whether that be through lobbying, or from authoritarian leaders of oil rich nations), it will be a significant challenge to usher in a new reality. In countries where democracy still exists, there is a need to move towards citizen-led participatory democracy. For as long as we have politicians, there is always the threat of them being lobbied by nefarious corporations and groups.
Participatory democracy would work equally well on a regional level (such as at the European Union), and at the international level (the UN). But, we won’t get this new type of governance without pushing for it. We need to vote for parties that will enact participatory democracy. And if your party doesn’t stand behind that – write to them and tell them that if they don’t make that one of their policies, then they’ll lose voters like you.
If we’re going to turn the tide, then we must do so now. Periods of darkness in history, sometimes give way to periods of enlightenment and co-operation. We’re in a very dark place with the climate, ecological, and AI crises threatening to overwhelm us – compounded by ongoing and spreading wars, which have turned this into an age of polycrisis.
Let’s make the transition from darkness to light, and build a future that successive generations of humanity will be proud of. A global movement of citizens taking power away from authoritarian and dysfunctional leaders, and creating a new path – one that we actually want to be on, that’s not driven by greed or radical philosophies, but by each one of us having a say in where we want to go and how we want to get there. We must do this now, before things escalate beyond the point of no return, which experts warn is a real possibility. Let the positive change commence.
I’ve been writing about the climate emergency since 2016, and the AI crisis since 2023. I write all my own work, without the use of AI. I don’t publish on any other paid platforms, and my blog remains completely free to read. If you’ve found my writing informative and if you’d like to support my work, I’d be really grateful if you did so here. Thank you.