“If you’re not moving forward, you’re falling back.”
Sam Waterston
The United States is withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. With that move, we will join Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries not participating. Other recent changes in the direction of our energy policy, such as funding freezes for planned projects are even more concerning. These decisions create uncertainty in the booming domestic clean energy sector and make it harder to track and disseminate scientific data. They also put us out of step with the rest of the world, and set us up to fall behind. The bottom line is, the world is moving toward a clean energy future, with or without us.
The world is moving toward a clean energy future
China is lapping the U.S. with technological developments in renewable energy and electric vehicles. It’s true, they still emit more heat-trapping gas than any other nation (the U.S. is second), but they’re quickly scaling up their ability to meet energy needs with renewables.
In 2024, China’s investments in clean energy technologies exceeded 10% of their entire GDP, and these investments are starting to pay dividends. Clean energy sectors in China overtook real estate, accounting for over 25% of GDP growth. Driving this were the “new three” – solar, electric vehicles, and batteries. Other countries will increasingly turn to China to supply them with the technology and goods for their own transitions. The EU is also making big strides with clean energy growth.
Transitioning from fossil fuels is key to fixing climate change. But the switch to clean energy has many benefits beyond reducing emissions. It drives economic growth and job creation. It also increases energy independence, and provides lower and more predictable energy costs. Other societal benefits include cleaner air, and better health outcomes.
If we want to compete in the global marketplace in the coming years, we can’t afford to go backwards. One thing that gives me hope is that American cities, states, and corporations are moving ahead with clean energy goals and projects despite headwinds at the federal level. We can potentially get there without the support of the federal government, but it will be a much heavier lift.
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Talk about it. Help solve it.