Renewable energy advocates can trumpet the virtues of “green” policies all they like, but when extremely cold weather strikes, the world tends to turn to fossil fuels.

Poland dispatches diesel and petrol generators to Ukraine amid Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The U.S. energy department authorizes utility companies to operate gas and coal plants at maximum capacity. New York clears its pavements with petrol-powered snow blowers. Conspicuously absent from these emergency responses are wind turbines and solar panels.

This fundamental limitation underscores the wisdom of Donald Trump’s decision to remove regulatory constraints on American energy production and withdraw from international agreements that prioritize renewables. It is an approach based on hard-headed realism—both about the nature of energy demand (as in this period of cold weather) and the state of the world today.

Trump’s energy agenda hinges on moving away from net-zero targets and offshore wind development, and towards promoting oil and gas production, increasing natural gas exports, and preserving consumer choice in vehicles and appliances.

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Some of the benefits are already becoming clear, particularly in lower transportation costs. But with increased output, the North American energy platform, with heavy crude from Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela, alongside American light crude and refining capacity, will be able to further increase its influence on global prices.

The international effects of this change are likely to be enormous. Europe and the United Kingdom will surely face mounting pressure to moderate their stringent net-zero legislation. Europe cannot afford to watch manufacturing relocate to America due to lower electricity and transport costs, particularly when combined with American tax reductions. Maintaining the current trajectory risks social unrest, as European GDP growth stagnates, unemployment rises, and the gap in living standards between America and Europe widens.

Centre-Right European parties are already gaining ground, amid popular frustration with net-zero policies. Agricultural producers across France and the Netherlands have staged protests against mandatory changes to farming practices. Such discontent will surely intensify, particularly as the economic costs of the green agenda become clearer. Multinational corporations operating facilities in both Europe and America, for example, may well opt to expand their American operations rather than their European ones.

Reducing mandates for renewable energy, electric vehicles, and electric appliances will also reduce U.S. dependence on China, strengthening energy, economic, and national security. China is clearly seeking to monopolize green energy infrastructure, technology that is still required throughout Europe.

Supporting Chinese green energy dominance is particularly troubling given Beijing’s appalling record on human rights and environmental protection. The Chinese Communist Party continues its cultural extermination against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and Buddhists in Tibet, has crushed political freedoms in Hong Kong, and systematically persecutes Christians.

But Beijing is facing another challenge to its strategy from the U.S. Until Trump took office, Western development organizations and private banks faced pressure to finance only renewable energy initiatives, precluding loans for power stations, transmission infrastructure, or household distribution systems. This policy vacuum enabled China to expand lending to African and Latin American countries, often securing strategic assets as collateral. Trump has removed this prohibition.

For emerging economies, increased U.S. support for fossil fuel power infrastructure will provide the reliable energy essential for manufacturing, creating employment opportunities and alleviating migration pressures. This policy reversal positions America to strengthen ties with energy-deprived regions including sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, all areas where energy poverty remains endemic.

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The World Bank still prioritizes renewables. Yet the correlation between economic development and energy consumption remains undeniable: no nation combines high per capita income with low per capita energy usage, and conversely, no country with high energy consumption maintains low per capita income.

Abundant energy enables higher living standards through enhanced productivity, increased agricultural yields, and higher household consumption, liberating populations from subsistence farming. With reliable energy access, farmers can either adopt innovative agricultural technologies or gain economic mobility to develop alternative skills.

High-energy/high-income economies enjoy superior access to healthcare and clean water, resulting in reduced maternal and child mortality, alongside investments in pollution mitigation. While the West romanticizes nature, natural disasters inflict disproportionate humanitarian damage on poor countries compared to wealthy ones, owing to disparities in warning systems, resilient infrastructure, and recovery capacity. Access to affordable energy proves vital in addressing these inequalities.

So as countries confront power outages and winter’s severe weather, the importance of reliable energy becomes even clearer. When catastrophe strikes, leaders tend to rely on fossil fuels. The U.S. is now acknowledging that reality—will Europeans have the courage to follow suit?