Democrats Receiving the Message on Their Climate Agenda: Time to Step Back!

A realization has dawned on the left: Americans are not in favor of paying more due to a climate conflict. No kidding.

Some Democrats are beginning to understand the implications of November’s victories by Donald Trump and other Republicans.

Firstly, it’s clear that voters are very skeptical about footing the bill for an expensive (and likely ineffective) battle against climate change.

Secondly, these Republican wins will make it even more challenging to implement the ambitious climate agenda that environmentalists desire.

With some luck, the entire climate initiative may come crashing down, potentially saving Americans billions and enhancing energy security nationwide.

“The public is exhausted,” acknowledges Assemblyman John McDonald (D-Albany). “They want to stop seeing their bills increase. We must be sensitive to that.”

McDonald also pointed out the importance of being “realistic that we’re not going to have a federal partner.”

Governor Kathy Hochul has postponed her plans for a “cap-and-invest” tax targeting fossil-fuel companies, aware that the expenses would ultimately fall on consumers, which conflicts with her reelection focus on “affordability” for 2026.

(She took similar steps with congestion pricing, delaying it until after the 2024 elections.)

Last year, Hochul admitted the importance of considering the “collateral damage” of the state’s climate policies and acknowledged that the state might not reach its targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (though she misleadingly suggested it would only be a few years delayed).

Other Democratic-led states are also taking a step back: for example, Maryland is delaying a program comparable to the one Hochul has postponed.

Even California is hesitating on renewing its groundbreaking emissions cap.

The sudden realizations from the left come after Europe has faced challenges due to its green policies, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which, alongside inflation and unfavorable weather, has driven energy costs up.

Democrats are correct in recognizing the grim outlook for their agenda: Team Trump has already begun dismantling the Green New Deal.

On his first day in office, he directed an “immediate pause” on climate funding authorized by Biden-era legislation. He is also pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord (again).

Instead, he has promised to revitalize every sector of America’s energy sector with his “all of the above” strategy. This approach resonates with Americans.

The climate agenda never truly made sense. Beyond its exorbitant costs, it has always been practically impossible to achieve those unrealistic zero-emission goals.

No country can realistically both significantly reduce CO2 emissions and manufacture all the wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries necessary to ensure energy reliability and economic prosperity — not with the existing technology, nor in the next decade or even three.

Moreover, global greenhouse gas reductions are unlikely when nations like India and China are launching new gas-emitting power plants nearly every day.

The silver lining: There’s no urgent need to cripple economies in the quest to control the climate.

Even if the world chose to take no action, UN climate experts themselves acknowledge that global warming would have a negligible impact on economic growth.

While we don’t anticipate Democrats entirely abandoning the climate agenda — at least not just yet — their recent acknowledgments of reality are likely a positive indication.