An electorally-vulnerable climate policy must recognize it is easier to build political coalitions around concrete, specific projects that provide more jobs, more public goods and a lower cost of living, rather than creating obscure, diffuse benefits. Photo by Trinh Trần/Pexels
Trump sums up his energy policy as “drill, baby, drill” and pledged to dismantle what he calls Democrats’ “green new scam” in favor of boosting production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, the main causes of climate change.
The Inflation Reduction Act was enacted in a hyper-partisan environment, but it has gained support among Republicans. Will its emissions-cutting programs endure?
If CCS operations leak, they can pose significant risks to water resources. That’s because pressurized CO2 stored underground can escape or propel brine trapped in the saline reservoirs typically used for permanent storage.
"You can just see the brainpower heading south," said Ken Seitz, the CEO of Saskatoon-based Nutrien Inc., adding the tax credits and subsidies offered through act are drawing investment dollars south of the border when it comes to things like renewable energy and carbon capture and storage.
The first full year of the Inflation Reduction Act, the sprawling climate bill passed by Democratic votes in Congress in 2022, saw nearly 150,000 clean energy jobs added, according to a new report by nonpartisan business group E2.
Even as she promoted her efforts to boost clean energy, Vice President Kamala Harris said in Tuesday's debate that the Biden-Harris administration has overseen “the largest increase in domestic oil production in history because of an approach that recognizes that we cannot over rely on foreign oil.″
Of the 1,500 policies in 41 countries, researchers found only a small fraction actually had impact — and usually as part of a larger strategy that included multiple angles of attack.
Politicians are often fed misleading information by corporate interests that oppose strong climate action, which masks the often overwhelming support of voters for key climate policies.