Trump’s global “drill, baby, drill” push extends to venezuela’s massive oil reserves, sparking climate concerns

Following the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, former President Donald Trump is now setting his sights on Venezuela’s enormous oil reserves as part of his expanded “drill, baby, drill” agenda. Environmental experts are raising urgent warnings about the potential climate implications if Trump succeeds in ramping up oil production in the South American nation.

Venezuela sits atop the world’s largest known oil reserves, containing an estimated 300 billion barrels according to the Energy Institute. This massive hydrocarbon wealth has made the country a prime target for Trump’s fossil fuel expansion plans, which have already focused heavily on boosting domestic US oil and gas production. However, experts warn that supercharging Venezuelan oil extraction would create a global climate disaster.

“Everybody loses” if Venezuela’s oil production is dramatically increased, according to critics who point out that flooding global markets with additional fossil fuels would undermine international climate commitments and accelerate greenhouse gas emissions. The financial challenges of revitalizing Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, which has deteriorated significantly in recent years, would be substantial, but environmental advocates argue the climate costs would be far greater.

Trump’s approach represents a significant escalation of his pro-fossil fuel policies beyond US borders, potentially turning Venezuela into a major new source of carbon emissions at a time when scientists emphasize the urgent need to transition away from oil and gas to prevent catastrophic climate change.