Next month President-Elect Donald Trump will become the 45th President of the USA, occupying one of the most powerful political offices in the world. After a contentious election race, those working in the UK construction industry have found themselves wondering: What does Trump’s victory mean for us?
Among other things, climate change, global markets and UK trade will all be affected by the new President’s appointment.
On climate change, pre-election results estimated that a victory for Trump would increase greenhouse gas emissions in the US by as much as 16%, roughly 3.4bn tons. However, his stance seems uncertain. After promising to withdraw America from the Paris Agreement during his first 100 days in office, he’s also acknowledged that fighting climate change remains a global commitment. Time will tell what this means both for the US and the rest of the world. What’s important is that the UK and its construction industry remain committed to reducing their environmental impact regardless.
Trump’s election promise to reduce foreign imports and increase tariffs for non-American goods and services is also going to shake things up. America is a significant trading partner and investor for the UK, so we’ll be watching closely to see what impact this has.