Electrify Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

FOR THE FIRST time in history, the full financial weight of the United States federal government is aligned behind an epic transition to clean energy. A trio of energy, infrastructure, and science laws passed by the last Congress will deploy more than half a trillion dollars of public funding over the next decade to wean us off fossil fuels and make greener alternatives cheap and ubiquitous.
Uncle Sam will pick up a huge chunk of the tab for energy sources like wind and solar, and cleaner consumer choices like electric vehicles and heat pumps. Thanks to these new laws, which will also unlock hundreds of billions in private investment in clean energy, it'll simply be the smarter financial decision to choose clean over dirty in the countless decisions made by millions of households and businesses. With the thumb firmly on the clean side of the scale, the fight against climate change in America has fundamentally changed.
And yet the work is just getting started.
I'm a macro-energy systems engineering expert. I've spent the past four years at Princeton leading research teams that have carefully modeled pathways for America to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and analyzed the impacts of proposed and enacted federal climate and energy policy. According to our research, these three laws could roughly double our current pace of decarbonization, leading to an average 4 percent drop in emissions each year through 2030, reducing total emissions to roughly 40 percent of their peak, and to levels not seen since 1967.
Denne historien er fra May/June 2023-utgaven av Mother Jones.
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Denne historien er fra May/June 2023-utgaven av Mother Jones.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9500+ magasiner og aviser.
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TURNING THE TIDE
How Hawaii stopped locking girls up by starting to listen to them

"WE DON'T ACTUALLY GIVE A FUCK"
10 ways to enrich the Trumps and the MAGA movement

A CHILLING EFFECT
The Trump administration threatens polar ice research that could help save us from climate change.

CYBER SECESSIONISTS
Silicon Valley moguls are creating regulation-free, crypto-based “network states.” And hoping to gobble up land near you.

PARENT TRAP
Tech bros and “trads” are pushing women to have more babies. Just as long as they're the right kind of women.
THE NEXT GENERATION
Meet the Elon Musk fans remaking education in his image.

"TRUMP'S FAVORITE DEMOCRAT❞
Grassroots progressives used to love John Fetterman. Now they wonder what happened to him.

FARM REDUCTION
The Trump administration's assault on small farmers

ASPIES ÜBER ALLES
Elon Musk believes autism makes him superhuman. Just don't call it that.

PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT
Thanks to you, our trophy closet is overflowing.