American climate policy is in tatters

Almost single-handedly, Joe Manchin has scuttled Joe Biden’s plans

Laguna Niguel, CA - May 11: Firefighters battle the Coastal Fire near the intersection of Vista Montemar and Coronado Pointe in Laguna Niguel, CA, on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. More than a dozen homes overlooking the ocean in Laguna Niguel were engulfed in flames as a fast-moving brush fire is spreading rapidly amid strong winds. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

Jul 21st 2022|Washington, DC

Even as americans and Europeans swelter in heatwaves, the chance of Congress passing serious climate-change legislation has gone cold. When the Democrats gained unified control of the White House and Congress 18 months ago, they had grand ambitions for a swift decarbonisation of America’s economy. By 2030 emissions were to be half their level in 2005. By 2035 all electricity would be produced without carbon pollution. And by 2050 emissions would, in line with the temperature goals of the Paris agreement, reach net zero.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Tick, tick, boom”