This article was originally published in the Hill on July 16, 2022. Read the full article here.
The climate crisis is literally heating up as the U.S. braces for another season of wildfires and heat waves. But even as the urgency grows for climate action, three major forces are slowing down the U.S. response. First, the midterm elections will likely give Republicans control of the House and possibly the Senate, with climate priorities taking a hit. Second, Russia’s attack on Ukraine has sent global energy prices soaring, making climate-energy policies more difficult than ever. Third, the Supreme Court has limited the EPA’s ability to hasten the transition away from coal-powered electricity.
But a shift to Republican control of at least one chamber after the midterms doesn’t have to mean the U.S. abandons climate action. What it will certainly do is change the focus of the climate discussion. The GOP has a climate platform for the first time in over a decade. Conservative voters, especially younger ones, take climate change seriously and have demanded that their representatives embrace science and offer serious, conservative policy approaches.
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