State Policies And Low Costs Will Sustain The U.S. Climate Fight (Part 1)

States Will Lead on Climate Change in the Trump Era

Editorial Board, December 26, 2016 (NY Times)

“State governments will serve as an important bulwark against any attempt by President-elect Donald Trump to roll back the progress the United States has made in addressing climate change…Over the last decade or so, most states have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by promoting energy efficiency and renewable fuels. These trends should continue as clean energy costs continue to decline and, in some parts of the country, fall below the cost of dirtier fuels like coal…[B]etween 2000 and 2014, 33 states and the District of Columbia cut carbon emissions while expanding their economies…That list includes red states run by Republican legislatures, like Alaska, Georgia, Tennessee and West Virginia…It’s hard to know how Mr. Trump will change climate policy, but it is almost certain that he won’t advance it…The people he has chosen to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and the Department of Interior — the three agencies with the greatest influence on energy policy — have either denied or expressed skepticism that human activity is causing global warming, something that virtually all scientists agree on…[But in] some states, including Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and parts of Texas, new wind turbines can generate electricity at a lower cost, without subsidies, than any other technology…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet