(Fusion) Seemingly every week a big news item draws attention to the close relationship between President-elect Donald Trump and Russia. With the announcement that Trump is nominating ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state—someone with a historically close working relationship with Russia—this week is no different. […]
According to Robert Orttung, a professor of international affairs at George Washington University, Russia’s scientific community was working on climate issues long before they caught on in the West.
“However, these scholars have little influence on policy makers because the Russian budget draws heavily on oil and natural gas for its revenues,” he said. “The state now controls the vast majority of Russian energy producers and wants to keep this source of revenue flowing as long as possible.”
Orttung thinks in the end, government—U.S., Russia, or China’s—won’t be the leader in addressing climate change. Rather, technology in the form of cheap renewable energy will lead the way.
“As prices for alternative energies come down, people will switch over to them regardless of who is sitting in the White House,” he said.
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