Trump's return is breaking climate policy—and that may be a good thing
California regulators just scrapped a plan to move trucks away from diesel. It's a sign of what's to come. Climate policy, as we know it, is falling apart. And now back in power, Donald Trump will take a wrecking ball to what's left.
But that's not a disaster. It's an opportunity. For years, climate action has been failing. It's been a mess of promises and pledges, lengthy conferences, and targets set for dates far in the future. Yes, the motivations have been the right ones. But the fact is that all the while, emissions have kept going up. Our data at Kayrros shows methane leaks from the oil and gas industry are still increasing, despite global promises to cut them. The climate agenda is broken.
Trump isn't the cause of this failure. He's a symptom of voter frustration. Many see climate policies that hurt them—higher energy bills, more red tape, bans on gas stoves, electric vehicle 'mandates'—and yet the climate crisis gets worse. They see symbolic solutions, like carbon offsets that move emissions elsewhere, or EVs that rely on a fossil-fuel-powered grid. It's no wonder many people are losing patience.
Trump's first term proved he is willing to break with orthodoxy. He pulled out of the Paris Agreement, yet U.S. emissions kept falling, largely due to market forces. He cut regulations, yet American firms led the world in energy innovation. His second term will likely see more of the same: less bureaucracy, fewer grandiose pledges, and more skepticism toward green subsidies and global climate deals.
Who can blame those who think this is bad news for the planet? It flies in the face of what we're used to. But it doesn't have to be. In fact, it's a chance to fix what is broken. The focus outside the U.S. now must shift from lofty goals to hard realities. Fossil fuels aren't vanishing overnight. Pretending otherwise just leads to bad policy—bans, mandates, and subsidies that ignore the fact that people and businesses still need reliable, affordable energy—and animates climate denialists, who can exploit people's frustrations.
The answer isn't more top-down control from the world's governments. It's smarter climate action. Hitting methane super-emitters is a perfect example. A tiny number of leaks from these account for a huge share of global warming. The technology to find and fix them already exists. Satellites can spot emissions in real time; AI and geoanalytics can make sense of the data. Targeted policies, like fines for the worst offenders, akin to speeding tickets for those who drive too fast, would cut emissions quickly, without disrupting energy supply.
But market solutions, not bureaucracy, must lead the way. The private sector is already ahead of governments in numerous respects. Companies are using AI and satellite data to track emissions with precision. Investors are shifting money toward efficient, low-carbon solutions because they see opportunity, not because a regulator told them to. Firms are investing in breakthrough low-carbon technologies, from advanced battery storage to small modular reactors and next-generation carbon capture systems, because they see a clear business case. As the cost of clean technology falls and consumer demand for sustainability grows, companies that fail to adapt will be left behind.
At the same time, energy firms are innovating to improve the efficiency of fossil fuel extraction and consumption. Reducing methane leaks, improving refining techniques, and developing hybrid energy solutions all lower emissions without cutting off the energy supply that people still need. These are the kinds of practical, high-impact measures that actually make a difference.
Any government climate policy should be just as hard-headed and data-driven. That means ditching wishful thinking and embracing pragmatism. It means making polluters pay in ways that are easy to enforce. It means investing in breakthrough technologies that bring down emissions without killing industries. It means focusing on what works rather than what sounds good, or would work in an ideal world. And it means abandoning those marginal policies that upset consumers, punish businesses, and make little or no difference to the state of the climate.
A second Trump term will not be the end of climate action, for the simple reason that the climate crisis is real, and getting worse, and we are experiencing its effects more and more. But it will be the end of climate theater. And that's a good thing. We now have a chance to reset: to build a strategy that is effective, realistic, and, for the most part, independent of politics. That is what the planet needs.
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
Read more:
Patagonia CEO: The 'energy emergency' is disingenuous—and we're wasting time not addressing the real threat
The path to net zero that doesn't punish consumers, businesses, or politicians
To help save the climate, CEOs need to become 'Chief Coalition Builders '
The winning fight against climate change lies at the intersection of environmentalism and economics
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘Golden Share' in U.S. Steel Gives Trump Extraordinary Control
To save its takeover of U.S. Steel, Japan's Nippon Steel agreed to an unusual arrangement, granting the White House a 'golden share' that gives the government an extraordinary amount of influence over a U.S. company. New details of the agreement show that the structure would give President Trump and his successors a permanent stake in U.S. Steel, significant sway over its board and veto power over a wide array of company actions, an arrangement that could change the nature of foreign investment in the United States. The terms of the arrangement were hammered out in meetings that went late into the night on Wednesday and Thursday, according to two people familiar with the details. Representatives from Nippon Steel — which had been trying to acquire the struggling U.S. Steel since December 2023, but had been blocked by the Biden administration over national security concerns — came around to Mr. Trump's desire to take a stake that would give the U.S. government significant control over the company's actions. Nippon had argued that this influence should expire — perhaps after three or four years, the duration of the Trump administration. But in the meetings, which were held at the Commerce Department, Trump officials led by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick insisted that the golden share should last in perpetuity, the two people said. Under the terms of the national security pact, which the companies said they signed Friday, the U.S. government would retain a single share of preferred stock, called class G — as in gold. And U.S. Steel's charter will list nearly a dozen activities the company cannot undertake without the approval of the American president or someone he designates in his stead. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Trump has not called Walz following shooting of Minnesota lawmakers
President Trump has not called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz more than 24 hours after a prominent Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were killed in what officials have described as a "politically motivated assassination." The big picture: Saturday's fatal shooting of Minnesota House Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman has exacerbated bipartisan security concerns among elected officials amid a volatile political landscape. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman were injured in a separate shooting at their home on Saturday. What we're hearing: Walz spokesperson Teddy Tschann confirmed to Axios that the governor had not heard from the president directly as of early Sunday afternoon. Walz spoke to both Vice President Vance and former President Biden on Saturday, Tschann said. The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. What he's saying: When asked by ABC News Sunday morning whether he planned to reach out to the Democratic governor, the president criticized Walz but left the door open to a conversation. "Well, it's a terrible thing. I think he's a terrible governor. I think he's a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too," he told ABC's Rachel Scott. On Saturday, Trump condemned the shooting as "horrific," saying such violence "will not be tolerated in the United States of America." Context: Law enforcement say 57-year-old Vance Boelter posed as a police officer when he killed Hortman and her husband in their suburban Twin Cities home early Saturday. Boelter is also wanted in connection with a separate shooting that wounded Hoffman and his wife. He remained on the run as of midday Sunday. Investigators recovered a manifesto featuring a target list that included the names of Democratic lawmakers and prominent individuals who support abortion rights in Minnesota. Zoom out: While Trump has not reached out personally, the state is receiving assistance and support from the administration. The FBI, which is on the ground in Minnesota, has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's capture and conviction. Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the "horrific violence" in a post on X Saturday, pledging to prosecute "to the fullest extent of the law."
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Bond Investors Look to Fed for Guidance on Timing of Rate Cuts
Treasuries investors whipsawed by President Donald Trump's trade and fiscal policies will this week glimpse the impact on the Federal Reserve's interest-rate policy. While Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues are set to keep their benchmark steady at the June 17-18 meeting, traders will scrutinize economic and interest-rate projections for insight into how policymakers may respond to the uncertainty.
