There’s a lot of uncertainty ahead for businesses and global economies. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America. The President-elect has already vowed to tear up the Paris Agreement within the first few days of his presidency, which would be a major setback for the world’s progress towards implementing more sustainable initiatives and cutting back on carbon emissions.[adrotate group=”4″]

It seems unlikely that the rollout of some energy efficient technology such as LED lights will be unaffected. However, there would be little or no cap on major companies that contribute heavily to carbon emissions, which will affect the Earth’s climate.

It will be interesting to see which countries will take the lead when it comes to sustainability in 2017. Below are some predicted winners and losers.

Winners.

China.

Although the country has had a notorious reputation for environmental protection, the country has progressed significantly in order to curb pollution and carbon emissions. One of the factors behind this progression is that its citizens experience the effect of carbon emissions every day.[adrotate group=”4″]

China is known for its smog cities but has been shutting down its coal-fired energy producing companies in exchange for energy produced from renewable sources. They have agreed to provide data from their own internal monitoring, in order to track and improve their sustainable efforts.

Australia.

Australia has always been one of the world’s leading nations when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. One of the most important things for Australians is improving people’s quality of life. Australia’s relatively low population and vast space do give it an advantage over other countries, however, it’s likely that the country will be among the top contenders for the lowest amount of carbon emissions in 2017.

Losers.

The United States.

The US positions itself as the leader of the free world, however, the newly elected President has his sights on creating wealth for the American nation at the cost of the environment. What is concerning is his administration’s view on climate change, as well as dismissing facts and advocating unverified public opinions.

Donald Trump’s concern is, ‘How much of a human influence causes or contributes to climate change?’ His argument so far is that the weather gets hotter and colder naturally. However, newly elected Secretary Ryan Zink distanced himself from Trump’s comments when asked about climate change by Senator Bernie Sanders. (CNN) Even the election of fossil fuel champion Rex Tillerson, who is the CEO of ExxonMobil continues to raise eyebrows.

An article published in The Daily Beast claims that the USA could lose up to $100 trillion as a result of having the ‘Carbon bubble’ burst. Currently, one-third of the world’s global wealth is invested in oil, gas, coal and other carbon companies.

Should the effects of climate change start to take effect sooner rather than later, costs from lost crop production or weather damage could be huge.

India.

India is no stranger to environmental issues and ranks among one of the world’s most polluted nations. Carbon emissions are just one of the many serious environmental issues affecting India and it’s inhabitants. Meanwhile, it’s citizens are suffering from health issues as a direct result of the pollution. (Source)

What makes this case worse is that the carbon emissions from other parts of the world are likely to affect the nation. In recent decades, thousands of people have been affected by extreme weather conditions such as flash flooding and extreme drought, due to climate change. There are environmental efforts being implemented by the Indian government, but without global support, the nation will still fall victim to climate change.

This is the likely direction for these countries, based on their public statements about the environment. Hopefully, all of the countries can implement a strong sustainable program that will allow them to achieve their economic goals without negatively impacting the environment.

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