Climate Alarm Sounds as Trump Oil Expansion Heads to Venezuela

By Staff, Agencies

By abducting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and asserting control over the country’s vast oil reserves, US President Donald Trump has pushed his long-standing “drill, baby, drill” agenda beyond US borders, raising alarm among climate experts.

Following the abduction of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, Trump signaled plans to dramatically expand oil drilling in Venezuela, home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves—around 300 billion barrels, according to the Energy Institute.

Speaking after the operation in Caracas, Trump said US oil companies would “go in, spend money, take back the oil,” adding that Washington would be “reimbursed for everything we spend.”

The US president claimed American firms would invest billions to repair Venezuela’s damaged infrastructure and boost production, while his administration pressures interim authorities to repeal a law requiring the state to retain a 50% stake in oil projects.

Major US energy companies, including Exxon and Chevron, have so far declined to commit to the scale of investment required.

Analysts warn that even a partial realization of Trump’s plan would have severe climate consequences.

Experts note that restoring production to Venezuela’s 1970s peak of 3.7 million barrels per day—more than triple current levels—would significantly undermine global climate goals.

Even a smaller increase to 1.5 million barrels per day would generate an estimated 550 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, exceeding the yearly emissions of countries such as the UK or Brazil.

“If there are millions of barrels a day of new oil, that will add quite a lot of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere,” said MIT climate economist John Sterman. “The people of Earth can’t afford that.”