Renewable Energy Expected To Continue Growth, Despite Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump may abandon U.S. pledges to reduce carbon emissions. But global economic realities ensure he is unlikely to reverse the accelerating push to adopt cleaner forms of energy.

Trump said on Twitter he will announce his decision Thursday on whether to follow through on his campaign promise to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

The president has pledged to reverse decades of decline in coal mining. Almost every other industrialized economy is moving in the opposite direction, spurring global growth in renewable sources of energy.

Coal-fired power plants around the world are increasingly being shuttered as governments and private companies invest billions in wind turbines and solar farms. Even in regions of the U.S. where coal is plentiful, electric utilities are increasingly shifting to cheaper, cleaner-burning natural gas.