Could Trump's tariffs slow emissions? Sure, experts say, but at great cost overall

President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs have stirred widespread anxiety about a severe economic downturn — and curiosity, for some, about how it might affect the world’s warming climate.Experts say a slowdown in international trade might have a brief and slight benefit in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which come in part from fuels like gas and oil that are used to move goods around the world via ships, planes and vehicles. But any such benefit in reducing emissions, which cause climate change, will be swamped by sharply rising costs worldwide that will hurt efforts to transition to green energies.“I would say it might help the climate in the first year or two if we have a downturn in economic activity or a recession, which no one wants,” said Rob Jackson, head of the Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists who monitor greenhouse gas emissions yearly. “But it will hurt the climate long-term because tariffs impact clean tech more than most other industries because of t...