In perhaps the least surprising news of the past six weeks, President-elect Donald Trump reportedly plans to roll back President Biden's electric car and emissions policies. Reuters reports The incoming president's transition team has recommended cutting support for EVs and charging stations while stepping up measures to block cars, components and battery materials from China.

Other reported plans of the transition group include new tariffs on all battery materials globally, increased production of US battery materials and talks with allies for exemptions. They are also said to be planning to take money to build charging stations and make electric cars more affordable, and to divert the batteries and necessary minerals from elsewhere in China. In addition, it is stated that they want axe the Biden administration's $7,500 tax credit for consumer EV purchases.

The plans would allow automakers to build more gas-guzzling cars by changing emissions and fuel economy standards, bringing them back to 2019 levels. Reuters says it would cause about 25 percent more emissions than current limits. It will also lower the average car's fuel consumption by about 15 percent.

Climate scientists have emphasized the importance transition from gas-powered cars to EVs reducing carbon emissions and overcoming the most devastating scenarios for the planet. Greenhouse gases, including car emissions, accumulate in the atmosphere and warm the climate. This takes to a cascade of effects in the atmosphere, land, and oceans—some of which are us already sees.

As for tariffs, economists say so he said Trump's plans are likely to trigger multiple trade wars as countries respond with tariffs on American goods, disrupting supply chains and piercing the heart of America's post-World War II alliances. "If we go down the path of a tariff war, we're going down a very dark path for the economy," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. The New York Times in October.

The Biden administration has championed climate legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act allocated 369 billion dollars to green initiativesand EPA regulations requiring automakers to increase EV sales.

Meanwhile, there is Trump he called climate change "hoax". According to him, in May he said a group of oil executives said Biden would immediately repeal dozens of environmental regulations while blocking new ones from taking effect. His price for such deregulation was to raise $1 billion for his campaign. (Thanks, Citizens United!) So while reports of his transition team's plans are still a gut punch to those who care about leaving the planet in a habitable state for future generations (and slowing down the effects we're already seeing), they're not exactly for anyone paying attention. not a shock.