Trump and the New Climate Feudalism: A Strategy for Dominance in a Collapsing World

A systemic shift - but not the one we hoped for

Donald Trump has long been dismissed as a climate denier. But viewed through a different lens, a more unsettling narrative emerges - one in which he and other power brokers have already accepted climate change as an inevitability and are actively building systems to ensure their survival and dominance. This is not a fight to prevent climate catastrophe; it is a calculated strategy to rule in a world reshaped by it.

We’ve been led to believe that climate denial stems from ignorance, ideology, or a failure to “understand the science.” But what if it isn’t denial at all? What if those we assume to be blind to the reality of climate change see it with absolute clarity - yet rather than stopping it, they are positioning themselves to fortify their own interests and profit from the fallout?

Two Narratives, One Reinforcing the Other

In certain Republican circles, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires are seen not merely as consequences of climate change but as divine retribution - punishments for a society that has strayed from “traditional values” by embracing inclusion, progressive ideas, and gender equality.

This rhetoric is not new, but in an era of accelerating climate crises, it grows ever more dangerous. By framing natural disasters within a moral narrative - where climate catastrophe becomes proof that society is headed in the wrong direction - an authoritarian agenda gains powerful justification. If disasters are punishments, then the solution is not systemic change or emission reductions, but the punishment of sinners and the restoration of a “purer” order.

This narrative intertwines with another, more cynical strategy: climate capitalism. While some Republican leaders publicly dismiss climate science, they are quietly preparing for a future in which climate change is not just real - but lucrative.

Militarization and the Resource Wars of the Climate Crisis

Climate change is eroding water supplies, depleting arable land, and destabilizing ecosystems, triggering mass migration and social unrest. Trump’s expanded military budget, his relentless push for border walls, and his rhetoric about defending U.S. interests - what if we see these not as reactionary policies, but as preparation for a future where resource wars become the norm?

If he viewed climate change as a problem to be solved, he would invest in green solutions. Instead, he is investing in weapons and fortifications.

Energy Politics: Fossil Fuels as a Tool of Power

Trump has consistently championed the oil and gas industry, deregulated coal, and opened protected lands for extraction. It’s tempting to dismiss this as mere short-term economic opportunism - but what if it’s something more strategic?

In a world where energy is becoming increasingly scarce, control over the last major fossil fuel reserves could translate into unparalleled geopolitical power. Sustaining global dependence on fossil fuels isn’t just about profit - it’s about securing a new world order in which those who control energy flows dictate the terms for everyone else.

Withdrawing from Climate Agreements: A Strategy to Undermine Global Stability

Why withdraw from the Paris Agreement? The conventional explanation is that Trump simply doesn’t believe in climate change. But there’s another, more strategic reading: international climate agreements are designed to foster stability and fairness -values that directly contradict his worldview.

For Trump, it’s survival of the fittest, a principle he has consistently embraced. Leaving the Paris Agreement may not be a rejection of climate science, but a calculated move to profit from disorder. By undermining collective climate action, he ensures that U.S. industrial dominance and energy control remain unrestrained by global regulations.

Water: The New Oil

One of the clearest signs that climate change is being treated as an opportunity rather than a crisis is the accelerating privatization of water. Across the globe, major investors are acquiring freshwater sources, while in the U.S., Trump’s deregulation policies have made it easier for corporations to take control of vital water resources.

If the future promises droughts and widespread scarcity, what’s the most lucrative business? Not preventing the crisis - but turning water into a luxury commodity.

The Architectural Manifestation: Enclaves for the Wealthy

On the other side of the world, The Line is rising—a hyper-futuristic megaproject in Saudi Arabia, marketed as a vision of a sustainable, high-tech future. A city without cars, powered by AI-driven systems, with its own food and water supply - designed to be self-sufficient and resilient against external threats.

But beneath the sleek façade of innovation and smart urban planning lies a more familiar story: the architecture of climate capitalism’s new feudalism.

What Is The Line, Really?

A long, narrow barrier cutting through the desert, The Line is designed to shelter a select elite while the world outside becomes ever more inhospitable. It promises a self-sustaining enclave where those with the right resources can insulate themselves from the impacts of climate change, even as the majority face water scarcity, food crises, and extreme weather.

It’s hardly a coincidence that billionaires are building bunkers in New Zealand, that exclusive residential projects are emerging in climate-safe zones, and that megaprojects like The Line fuel widespread speculation. These aren’t merely architectural experiments—they are deliberate blueprints for future hierarchies. In a world where resources are dwindling, only a chosen few will have access to security, clean air, and water. From this perspective, it’s not just about “America First”—it’s about “Rich First,” a logic that mirrors Trump’s domestic strategies seamlessly.

Toward a New Climate Feudalism

It’s a dangerous convergence: an economic elite that treats climate change as a strategic business opportunity and a religiously infused political movement that frames disasters as divine punishment rather than crises demanding collective solutions. Seen through this lens, Trump and his allies are not in denial about climate change - they have already accepted it. They have simply chosen to play a different game.

• This means that no amount of scientific evidence will change their policies.

• This means that appeals to “sustainable development” fall on deaf ears, as the ruling class views development as a zero-sum competition where the winner takes all.

• This means that the climate struggle cannot hinge on justice and solidarity -because those in power are already preparing for a world where justice is irrelevant.

This is a system shift - but not the one we had hoped for. The real question is no longer how to persuade those in power to act, but how to organize ourselves to build a future with systems that do not rely on dominance and exclusion, beyond their reach. What does a world look like where climate change is not mitigated, but monetized? And how long can we tolerate a future being designed for the few while the many are left behind?

The climate crisis is not just a struggle over resources—it is a battle over the future itself.

The question is no longer whether we can stop climate change, but who gets to survive and on what terms. Will we accept a future engineered for the few, where wealth buys safety while the rest are left to fend for themselves? Or can we still reclaim the power to shape a world that values resilience over dominance, cooperation over control?

The time to choose is slipping away. But the future is not written - yet.