WASHINGTON: “Drill Baby Drill” versus supporting green energy: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris offer diametrically opposed views on climate, with the outcome of the US presidential race poised to shape the planet’s warming trajectory.

Neither candidate has outlined a comprehensive climate platform, an issue that remains far from the center of the US campaign despite the country being the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China.

But their positions are not a mystery.

Former President Trump has long denounced climate change as a “hoax” and pledged to reverse the environmental policies of the Biden-Harris administration if elected.

A Trump victory could significantly slow the pace of the green transition, dashing hopes of meeting critical long-term warming targets. A US withdrawal from climate diplomacy would undermine global efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Even before the inauguration in January, his election would immediately weaken the influence of American negotiators at the COP29 United Nations climate summit, which starts just six days after the vote.

Greater commitments from wealthy nations such as the US are seen as essential to boosting financial support for vulnerable developing countries, a key point of this year’s talks.

During his presidency, Republican Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement and vowed to do so again if re-elected after President Joe Biden restored US participation.

To meet its Paris obligations, the US has committed to an ambitious goal of halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. By 2023, it has achieved a 18% discount, according to the Rhodium group.

“We really need to stay the course, and that would be a complete reversal under Trump,” according to Leah Stokes, a political scientist at UC Santa Barbara who specializes in climate.

“The outcome of the US election will have ramifications for the entire planet,” she told AFP.