The world’s richest man and Donald Trump’s “first friend” has disregarded the impact of beef on climate change, hinting at a red meat renaissance in the US.

What do you get if you elect a McDonald’s fanatic who also happens to be a climate denier for president?

The US will see that scenario play out over the next four years as Donald Trump returns to the White House. The president-elect is moving much more rapidly than he did the first time around in 2016, already making a number of appointments to drive his agenda in a Congress controlled by the Republicans.

One of the 78-year-old’s most shocking but unsurprising moves was to appoint campaign surrogate Elon Musk as the co-head of a new Department of Government Efficiency. The world’s richest man will be leading the agency alongside hard-right Republican (and climate denier) Vivek Ramaswamy – nothing says efficient like two men doing one job.

But even as a non-governmental position, the involvement of Musk, whose big bets on Trump paid off in the election, is alarming not just due to conflicts of interest (he has billions’ worth of government contracts), but also for its implications for the fight against climate change – especially through the food system.

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience – America’s most popular podcast – before the election, Musk called the idea that livestock agriculture contributes to climate change “hot bullshit”, promoting the carnivore diet and acting as a precursor to how the second Trump administration will approach meat and climate change.

This article is originally from greenqueen.com.hk, continue reading there.