Financial Services Association, May 16 (Editor Xia Junxiong) According to media reports, if Trump re-enters the White House, he may push for a change in the director general of the International Energy Agency (IEA) to return the agency's focus to fossil fuels rather than climate change.

The IEA was founded in 1974 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in response to the energy crisis. It initially focused on preventing oil market turbulence and providing research and data to industrialized countries to help guide policies on energy security, supply, and investment.

As governments have set energy transition goals, the IEA has now expanded its focus from oil and gas supply to clean energy.

According to people familiar with Trump's energy policy, if Trump wins the US election in November this year, he may pressure the IEA to be consistent with his pro-fossil fuels.

Researchers at the American Heritage Foundation revealed that they founded America to use their influence within the IEA to push to replace Birol, the organization's current director general. The Heritage Foundation is in regular contact with the Trump campaign.

The IEA Director General is elected by member states, but the US has great influence on the organization due to the scale of funding and geopolitical influence. The US provides about a quarter of the IEA's funding.

According to reports, Trump considered cutting funding for the IEA during his tenure as US president from 2017 to 2020, but ultimately chose to keep it, partly because the funding provided was not very high. The US pays about 6 million US dollars in membership fees to the IEA every year.

However, if Trump is re-elected as President of the United States, the situation may change. According to current polls, Trump and current US President Joe Biden have similar approval ratings.

Dave Banks, the US National Security Council's special assistant for international energy and environmental affairs during Trump's administration, said: “The Republicans have a view that the IEA is actually managed by Europeans and prioritizes European energy security views, which is in line with the Democratic Party's priorities.”

In 2021, shortly after Biden took office, the IEA released a report stating that if countries were to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, it was necessary to quickly stop new drilling investments.

This displeased Republicans, who think the IEA is too close to the Biden administration's policy agenda. In March of this year, two senior Republican lawmakers said that the IEA has become a “cheerleader for the energy transition.”

The IEA argues that its analysis is independent and factual.