News: America’s climate push is in peril

Monday, June 27, 2022

America’s climate push is in peril

Jun 27, 2022

Presented by Chevron

Welcome to the inaugural edition of POLITICO's Power Switch, your daily guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation.

I'm your host, Arianna Skibell — longtime energy policy reporter for POLITICO's E&E News. All right, let's get into it.

Illustration by Claudine Hellmuth/E&E News

The great climate muddle — After his inauguration, President Joe Biden charged into the Oval Office and drafted a series of game-changing, economy-altering plans to save the planet from a slow-creep heat death.

A year and change later, progress has been slow. And Biden's toolbox may be shrinking.

Republicans wary of climate action are expected to take back the House in November and possibly the Senate, too.

And the Supreme Court is poised to hobble the administration's ability to regulate carbon pollution . Plus, soaring gasoline prices have slowed climate momentum.

The world's a jumble, too
The United States is not the only distracted country. Climate change has taken a back seat to Russia's invasion of Ukraine at this year's Group of 7 leaders' summit, which began Sunday in the Bavarian Alps.

Summit leaders are weighing a price cap on Russian oil, having learned the perils of imposing a full embargo after early efforts sent prices soaring, catalyzed a gas supply crisis and led to consumer backlash here and in Europe.

But reducing reliance on Russia could potentially drive leaders to backtrack on their commitments to end international fossil fuel investments this year. Biden himself has backed an increase of domestic fuel production as a short-term solution.

Time is of the essence
Stalled climate action all but guarantees the United States won't do its part to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate accords.

The latest U.N. climate report found that preventing global warming of more than 2 degrees Celsius from preindustrial levels, or ideally 1.5 degrees C, will require a fundamental overhaul of nearly all aspects of human life.

The planet has already warmed by more than 1 C, meaning both targets are rapidly approaching.

Of course, Washington isn't the only driver of climate action. Cities, states and the private sector are making commitments to cut carbon, and entire industries that produce and rely on energy are in the grip of massive changes.

These include the rise of renewables and decline of coal, pledges by multiple automakers to adopt all-electric fleets, and other assurances that major corporations are making to their shareholders and customers.

But here's the reality check: Most experts agree there's a limit to how much can be achieved without a coordinated national response from the United States.

What do you think: Where will ambitious climate action come from, if at all? Who will lead the way?

Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Thanks for joining us for our first issue!

When I'm not writing this newsletter, you can find me in Durham, N.C., trying to make a dent in my reading list and hanging out with my two cats, Arnold and Matty.

Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net.

A message from Chevron:

At Chevron, we believe the fuels of the future can help power a brighter future. Find out how we're working to increase our hydrogen fuel production to help make heavy-duty transport lower carbon.

Fact check

"We've already warmed 1 degree Celsius, and do you know what's happened since then? Let me tell you. We've had more food grown since then, which feeds people."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Earlier this month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told host Brian Glenn on the conservative Right Side Broadcasting Network that climate change is actually healthy for us because plants need carbon to grow.

Simply put, no
It's true the planet has warmed 1 C since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It's true the global food supply has also increased. But the former did not cause the latter. If anything, it's the other way around.

Industrial agriculture — brought about by improved farming techniques and pesticides, not warmer weather — is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

And even though the world's farmers grow more than enough food to feed all 8 billion people on the planet, hunger remains a global crisis.

Power Centers

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) and President Joe Biden arrive Sunday for the official Group of Seven summit. | Martin Meissner/AP Photo

Oil price cap? Not so fast
France has upended talks at the G-7 leaders' summit over a proposal to cap the price of Russian oil, write David Herszenhorn and Giorgio Leali.

Instead, French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for a worldwide cap on all producers, setting the G-7 up for a showdown with countries like Saudi Arabia. Read more here.

Ominous sign for environmentalists
The Supreme Court's decision last week to topple decades of abortion law may signal the court is less willing to even consider climate change and other environmental lawsuits, write Lesley Clark and Pamela King.

Some legal experts even worry the high court could seize on the opportunity to revisit parts of Massachusetts v. EPA, the 2007 case that found EPA could regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Find out more here.

Utilities say 'yes' to clean power
Top utility executives convened in Orlando, Fla., to discuss the challenges facing their sector. Chief among them is the transition to clean power, writes Miranda Willson.

In the past, the industry held the transition "at arm's length," said Gerry Anderson, executive chair of Michigan-based DTE Energy Co.

"The opposite is true now: We're fully in, pursuing it hard and making it happen," he said. Get the full story here.

A message from Chevron:

Subscriber Zone

Offshore wind turbines.

Rodrique Ngowi/AP Photo

A brewing fight over New Jersey's first offshore wind turbine is threatening to tank the project, which would eventually generate enough energy to power 3 million homes.

The Department of Energy has continued a Trump administration practice of retaining public relations firms with longstanding fossil fuel ties, drawing backlash.

The Biden administration announced a $32 million project to curb residential carbon emissions, but homeowners and the real estate industry appear to lack interest.

A federal court sided against oil and gas companies in a lawsuit with several California cities and counties. The companies are now likely to appeal to the Supreme Court.

In Other News

— Congress quietly backed an ambitious climate project: Sending CO2 to the ocean floor (HuffPost)

— Love it or hate it, natural gas is likely here to stay (Houston Chronicle)

— The world pledged to cut methane. Emissions are rising instead, study finds (Washington Post)

Today in POLITICO's energy pod: Louise Guillot breaks down the environmental cost of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and how Ukraine wants to make Russia pay for those damages.

Bonus track: The climate outlook is ... not great. But hey, music legend Creem magazine is back in print after nearly 30 years. Dreams can come true.

Question Corner

Questions? We're here for it
The science, policy and politics driving the energy transition can feel miles away. But we're all affected on an individual and communal level — from hotter days and higher gas prices to home insurance rates and food supply.

Send me your questions about what the news means for you with "Question Corner" in the subject line. We'll pick a handful to answer each week in the newsletter.

That's it for today, folks! Thanks for tuning in.

A message from Chevron:

Energy demand is growing. At Chevron, we believe that demand for lower carbon hydrogen fuel could more than triple by 2050. That's why we're working to grow our hydrogen production to 150,000 tonnes per year by 2030 to help make heavy-duty transport lower carbon. Because we believe the future of energy is lower carbon. And it's only human to reach for it.