There will be a focus on the environment today for two reasons.
- I'll be appearing on a podcast that wonders why you never hear much about global warming and clean energy anymore.
- This general subject matter was totally ignored as an issue in the recent mid-term elections. However, this article says climate was a factor.
- What should the new Democratic Congress do about the environment?
- It is the supreme governing body of an international treaty
- Consists of 197 countries plus the European Union. There are 27 nations in the EU.
- The first gathering, COP 1, was held in Germany in 1995.
- A key summit was the 1997 COP 3 in Kyoto, Japan, where the Kyoto Protocol was signed. And I was there for that gathering. Agreement was reached for key nations to reduce greenhouse gas emittance.
- The most important was COP 21 in Paris, France, where the Paris Agreement was signed.
- The actual signing occurred on Earth Day, 22April2016, at the UN headquarters in New York City.
- Basically, all countries belong to the Conference of the Parties. There are a very few exceptions, like the USA.
- The USA dropped out in 2020 when Donald Trump was president, rejoined in 2021 when Joe Biden became president, and dropped out again in 2025 when Trump re-became president.
- Today, only the U.S., Libya and Yemen are not members.
- The U.S. has never hosted any of the annual gatherings, and did not send anyone to Turkey for COP 31.
- Worse, President Donald Trump earlier this year announced pulling out of 66 world organization, including 31 UN groups. We left the UN World Health Organization last year. Why?
The order, signed by Trump on Wednesday (7January2026) says the organizations he's withdrawing from "undermine America's independence and waste taxpayer dollars on ineffective or hostile agendas."
Yes, Donald Trump continues to dismiss global warming and climate change, frequently characterizing them as a "hoax," a "scam," or a "con job". [1, 2, 3]
Global warming is extremely serious and poses a major long-term threat to human health, ecosystems, and global stability. [1]
According to data tracked by NASA Science, human-caused greenhouse gas emissions have already warmed Earth by roughly 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels, leading to accelerated glacier melt, rising sea levels, and more intense extreme weather. [1]
The Trump administration abandoned global warming and clean energy programs to promote domestic fossil fuel production, cut federal spending, and dismantle environmental regulations it views as costly and overreaching. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
- National Energy Dominance and Fossil Fuels: The administration declared a national energy emergency on its first day in office to prioritize oil, gas, and coal extraction, streamline permitting, and reshape policy around domestic energy production rather than emissions reductions. [1, 2, 3]
- Dismantling Climate Science and Oversight: The administration eliminated the 35-year-old U.S. Global Change Research Program, terminated hundreds of staff tied to the National Climate Assessment, and shut down public research portals like
climate.govto strip away the scientific data used to justify environmental rules. [1, 2, 3] - Rolling Back Legal Foundations: The EPA rescinded the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which served as the primary legal basis for federal greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act. [1, 2]
- For personal reasons, Trump has attempted to eliminate anything to do with what the Obama and Biden administrations did.
- Of course too, the White House wanted to prioritize the programs of campaign donors, particularly fossil and nuclear energy organizations and companies.
The new legislative majorities intend to approach global warming and renewable energy through the following specific frameworks:
1. Investigations and Oversight
- Targeting rollbacks: Democrats plan to use their committee majorities to launch hearings into the Trump administration's cuts to the EPA, the rolling back of greenhouse gas limits, and the defunding of green energy grants. [1, 2]
- Donor accountability: Key figures like Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (incoming chair or top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee) have pledged to demand accountability for fossil-fuel industry influence over environmental policy. [1]
- Restoring tax credits: A top priority is reinstating the solar and wind federal tax credits that were phased out or eliminated by the prior Republican-led reconciliation package. [1, 2]
- Equalizing the energy playing field: The party’s legislative framework focuses on leveling fees for solar and wind energy to match lower historical rates given to fossil fuels, as well as lifting administrative bans on offshore wind leasing. [1]
- Targeting methane: Lawmakers plan to introduce measures to restore strict, mandatory regulations on fugitive methane emissions. [1]
- Data center limits: Due to massive grid strain, the new Congress—along with freshly elected Democratic governors in traditional energy hubs like Texas—is targeting the massive carbon footprint of tech infrastructure.
Because President Trump retains his executive veto power, Democrats lack the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass sweeping, standalone green legislation without Republican defections. As a result, analysts note that the party's most ambitious climate bills will primarily serve to lay out their policy platform heading into the 2028 elections. However, Democrats are optimistic that they can find bipartisan compromise on clean energy tax credits and energy efficiency, as those measures directly appeal to districts heavily reliant on manufacturing and low-cost utility bills. [1, 2, 3]
Yes, generating electrical energy from new solar and wind power is generally cheaper than building new coal or nuclear power plants, according to industry analyses such as those from Lazard and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
- Solar PV: Unsubsidized new utility-scale solar typically ranges from $38 to $78 per MWh.
- Onshore Wind: Unsubsidized new wind typically ranges from $37 to $86 per MWh.
- Coal: New coal power generation ranges from $71 to $173 per MWh (though existing, already-paid-for coal plants can occasionally be cheaper to run in the short term).
- Nuclear: Advanced nuclear power is estimated significantly higher, with costs often starting around $81 to $110+ per MWh or more depending on capital overruns and financing.
Researchers warn that the rate of global warming appears to have accelerated, from about 0.05°C per decade between 1880 and 1970 to roughly 0.36°C per decade between 2010 and 2024—and the 2°C threshold meant to limit planetary damage could be reached before 2050 they warn. These accelerating and intensifying changes could raise the risk of reinforcing feedback loops and crossing tipping points—critical thresholds that, when crossed, can lead to accelerating and often irreversible environmental changes. In 2025, the Earth passed its first climate tipping point, as rising ocean temperatures, acidification, overfishing, and pollution are combining to cause coral bleaching and mortality.
Europe
- Public Sentiment: Europe ranks highest in public concern and awareness regarding climate change, with roughly 47% to over 90% of citizens viewing the climate crisis as a serious threat or primary personal challenge. [1, 2]
- Policy & Approach: Guided by the supranational European Green Deal, the EU aims for climate neutrality by 2050 and a 55% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 through mechanisms like the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the Renewable Energy Directive. [1]
China
- Public Sentiment: Public concern is exceptionally high (around 73% of the population worried about the climate crisis), driven by domestic exposure to extreme weather and air pollution. [1]
- Policy & Approach: As the world's largest carbon emitter, China balances massive green technology dominance (producing the majority of global electric vehicles, solar wafers, and lithium-ion batteries while rapidly expanding wind and solar capacity) with continued domestic coal permitting to safeguard energy security. China has also established an absolute emissions reduction target for 2035 and cooperates with developing nations on renewable projects. [1, 2, 3]
- Public Sentiment: Public concern is lower and deeply polarized along political lines; roughly 39% to 54% of Americans view climate change as a major threat, with a steep divide between Democrats (high concern) and Republicans (lower concern). [1, 2]
- Policy & Approach: U.S. strategy has shifted across political administrations, featuring major federal investments via the Inflation Reduction Act targeting clean energy and domestic manufacturing, alongside periods of political retrenchment, fossil fuel expansion, and shifting engagement with international frameworks like the Paris Agreement. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Public Sentiment & Stance: Russia approaches global warming largely through an economic and geopolitical lens rather than active domestic decarbonization pressure.
- Policy & Approach: As a major fossil-fuel producer and the fourth-largest global CO2 emitter, Russia often leverages climate impacts opportunistically—such as developing shipping corridors and extraction infrastructure along the warming Arctic's Northern Sea Route—while ranking near the bottom of international climate protection performance indices (such as the Climate Change Performance Index). [1, 2, 3, 4]
About that podcast today, the sound did not get captured well, but here are a few graphics.
- There was a consensus that global climate change is real and the contribution of renewable energy will be crucial for a more secure future.
- However, this issue is not a current community priority.
- Perhaps we at 15 Craigside can spur interest.
- After all, we all now have more time.
- Some have connections.
It's possible that the environment and renewable energy can become a campaign issue for the 2028 presidential election. We can at least start the effort. With Jay's (that's him above) podcast, which is available nationally on You Tube, our input might go viral, nationwide. Watch his Think Tech Hawaii video on The Future is Now.- I will in a future posting indicate where this particular podcast can be found in You Tube after it is edited.
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