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Introducing 'freedom gas' – a bit like the 2003 deep-fried potato variety, only even worse for you

US to smother the planet with liberty, whether we like it or not

Logowatch Whether it's Puff Daddy to P Diddy, Sci Fi to Syfy or French fries to freedom fries, the US is the undisputed king of dubious rebranding exercises.

Now America has once again hitched its horse to the strategy boutique. Introducing "freedom gas" – like our much-loved deep-fried potatoes, only even worse for you.

It's a bit of a misnomer. You'll probably be relieved to know that this does not involve huffing President Trump's emissions to taste that patented all-American liberty, as much as he'd like everyone to toe the line.

Rather, in a statement bragging about increased exports, the US Department of Energy actually referred to good old carbon-emittin', global-warmin' natural gas as "molecules of US freedom".

Meanwhile, the rest of the world has been left wondering if this timeline is one terrible, terrible joke – if they didn't fear it already.

The red, white and blue backslapping followed the expansion of a plant in Quintana, Texas, which produces the flammable stuff in liquid form – thus enabling the States to further smother its friends with gassy freedom.

"Increasing export capacity from the Freeport LNG [liquified natural gas] project is critical to spreading freedom gas throughout the world by giving America's allies a diverse and affordable source of clean energy," trumpeted US undersecretary of energy Mark Menezes.

The department heralded the creation of 3,000 jobs for the area thanks to the upgraded facility. Which, of course, is great.

However, the concern is, as the BBC points out, that this rootin'-tootin' jingoism comes as Trump attempts to walk back on commitments to tackling climate change made by predecessor Barack Obama's administration.

After taking office, Trump swiftly plucked the US from the 2015 Paris climate change agreement, citing the need to negotiate a "fair" deal for American biz and workers – though at the expense of the planet that sustains both, and the rest of us.

Granted, natural freedom gas is the cleanest fossil fuel, but it is responsible for a sizeable chunk of carbon emissions that is only set to grow – especially with little rebranding initiatives like this.

Surely we'll wake up from this nightmare in 3... 2... ®

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