‘Inexcusable’: should climate hypocrites get the petrostates label?

Suggestions definition of petrostate is too narrow as many rich countries that could phase out fossil fuels double down

• Wealthy countries lead in new oil and gas expansion, threatening 12bn tonnes of emissions

Drill, baby, drill!" Donald Trump's ominous avowal to pump up the oil and gas production of the US has horrified many people around the world about the intentions of the Republican candidate, who has also declared he wants to be dictator for a day". Rather than the prospective leader of the free world, the election frontrunner sounds more like the tyrant of a petrostate.

That should not be entirely surprising given the country's recent record: it has ramped up fossil fuel production to become the world's biggest producer. As a Guardian investigation reveals, the total number of projected licences by the US for 2024 could lead to an estimated 397m tonnes of planet-heating emissions.