The decision of the United States to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and increase the drilling of fossil fuel aimed at doubling its use is having a rippling effect around the globe.
Barely a year after COP28 when delegates reached an agreement signaling the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era, laying the groundwork for a swift, just, and equitable transition to green energy, countries have hinted at following the US, further impacting the growth of clean energy transition while burning of fossil fuels continues to rise.
Nithi Nesadurai, director of Climate Action Network Southeast Asia, said “The richest country and the largest oil producer in the world increasing its production gives other states an easy excuse to increase their own, which they are already doing.”
For instance, Indonesia which has remained in the list of top 10 carbon-emitting countries has hinted at following the US. During the ESG Sustainable Forum 2025 in Jakarta on 31 January, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, special envoy for climate change and energy of Indonesia asked, “Indonesia produces three tons of carbon [per person a year] while the US produces 13 tons, yet we are the ones being told to close our power plants… So, where is the sense of justice here?”
He further added that if the US was not complying with the Paris Agreement, there was no need for Indonesia to do so either.
In South Africa, the continent’s largest economy and a significant carbon emitter, an $8.5 billion foreign-funded initiative aimed at transitioning away from coal was already progressing sluggishly. Now, concerns are mounting that the project could face even greater setbacks.
According to Wikus Kruger, director of the Power Futures Lab at the University of Cape Town, there is a “possibility” that the retirement of aging coal-fired power plants may be postponed even further.
Recently, Norwegian energy giant Equinor announced that it is halving investment in renewable energy over the next two years while increasing oil and gas production.
“We are scaling down our investments in renewables and low carbon solutions because we don’t see the necessary profitability in the future,” Chief Executive Anders Opedal.
It will cut investments in renewables to $5bn over the next two years, down from about $10bn.
At the conclusion of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. on February 14, both nations released a joint statement reaffirming that the U.S. would remain a key supplier of crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India.
Shortly after Donald Trump took office, South Korea—the world’s third-largest LNG importer—indicated its intention to increase purchases of American fossil fuel oil and gas. This move, reported by international media from Seoul, is seen as an effort to reduce its trade surplus with the U.S. while enhancing energy security.
Meanwhile, officials from Japan’s largest power producer, JERA, told Reuters that they also plan to boost LNG imports from the U.S. to diversify their supply, as half of their current imports come from the Asia-Pacific region.
However, Scientists have said there can be no new fossil fuel extraction and there needs to be a rapid reduction of carbon emissions (around 45% by 2030 from the 2019 level) if the world is to limit warming to 1.5 Celsius compared to the pre-industrial period.
