{"id":61447,"date":"2023-12-19T09:49:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T17:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/energi.media\/?p=61447"},"modified":"2023-12-19T09:49:51","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T17:49:51","slug":"heres-how-experts-graded-us-climate-progress-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/energi.media\/news\/heres-how-experts-graded-us-climate-progress-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s how experts graded US climate progress in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>This article was published by <a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/climate\/heres-how-experts-graded-us-climate-action-in-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Grist<\/a> on Dec. 19, 2023.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>By <a class=\"byline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/author\/tik-root\/\">Tik Root<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-small\">\u2018Tis the season to be merry \u2026 and get graded. As students across the country anxiously await their report cards, we thought it would be a good time to ask climate experts to grade the United States\u2019 efforts to address the issue over the last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">They were more than happy to play along.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201cAs a professor of sustainability, grading is very much in our working dialog,\u201d one respondent told us. Another chimed in: \u201cI\u2019m finishing up my fall semester class right now, so grades are on my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">The stakes, however, are much greater for the planet than for their students. This almost certainly will go down as the hottest year in recorded history, and the time for meaningful action is drawing short. Although the U.S. showed great effort as the Inflation Reduction Act started to roll out, it fell short of its potential with incomplete work on issues such as permitting reform, not to mention the approval of a massive drilling project in Alaska.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">While experts varied in the grade they assigned, everyone agreed the country has a lot of homework to do if it hopes to pass the planet\u2019s hardest test.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-ups-image aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\"><span class=\"js-modal-gallery__trigger relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png?w=330 330w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png?w=1024 768w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png?w=160&amp;h=90&amp;crop=1 160w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png?w=640&amp;h=500&amp;crop=1 640w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png?w=96&amp;h=96&amp;crop=1 96w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png?w=150 150w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-aminus.png 1024w\" alt=\"Grade: A-\" data-caption=\"\" data-credit=\"\" \/><button class=\"js-modal-gallery__open\" aria-label=\"Open modal gallery\"><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-default-font-family\"><strong>Ari Matusiak<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>CEO, Rewiring America<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Let\u2019s start with the highest grade, from Ari Matusaik, who leads the electrification nonprofit Rewriting America. In awarding an A-, he hailed the billions of dollars the Department of Energy and other agencies have started allocating under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA. The landmark law ushered in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/rmi.org\/its-the-iras-first-birthday-here-are-five-areas-where-progress-is-piling-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">record level<\/a>\u00a0of investment in clean energy projects, from solar to battery manufacturing. But even as that money begins flowing, he noted, \u201cwe\u2019re already headed in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201cSales of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/streaklinks.com\/Bw4mfe6GhsTEV0mNUwfYQxVF\/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahrinet.org%2Fsystem%2Ffiles%2F2023-11%2FSeptember2023StatisticalRelease.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">heat pumps are outpacing oil and gas furnaces<\/a>\u00a0for the second year in a row and by the end of 2023\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/streaklinks.com\/Bw4mfe6hoS0PkMwTcAhfSr2u\/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.utilitydive.com%2Fnews%2Felectric-vehicles-EVs-new-car-sales-2023%2F700799%2F%23%3A%7E%3Atext%3DU.S.%2520consumers%2520purchasing%2520new%2520light%2Cfor%25207.3%2525%2520sales%2520in%25202022.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">electric vehicles representing nearly 9 percent<\/a>\u00a0of total light-duty car sales,\u201d he told Grist. And that, he said, is \u201cfar past what experts say is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/streaklinks.com\/Bw4mfe6AgCOgxj41UQ6iFOWo\/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2F2023-10-05%2F-it-s-done-the-future-is-battery-powered-electric-cars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the tipping point to wide-scale adoption<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-ups-image aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\"><span class=\"js-modal-gallery__trigger relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png?w=330 330w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png?w=1024 768w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png?w=160&amp;h=90&amp;crop=1 160w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png?w=640&amp;h=500&amp;crop=1 640w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png?w=96&amp;h=96&amp;crop=1 96w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png?w=150 150w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-bplus.png 1024w\" alt=\"Grade: B+\" data-caption=\"\" data-credit=\"\" \/><button class=\"js-modal-gallery__open\" aria-label=\"Open modal gallery\"><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-default-font-family\"><strong>Bob Inglis<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Former U.S. Representative, founder of RepublicEn.org<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Bob Inglis is an avowed conservative, a former congressman who represented South Carolina, and a devoted proponent of climate action. He awarded the country a \u201chigh B+,\u201d in large part because he sees momentum to address climate change building on the political right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201cYoung conservatives want action,\u201d he said, adding that Republican legislators have been introducing bills to advance sustainability. He cited bipartisan efforts around\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coons.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/senators-coons-tillis-introduce-legislation-to-increase-use-of-low-emissions-concrete-and-asphalt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">low-emissions cement\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coons.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/senators-coons-cramer-introduce-legislation-to-study-global-emissions-intensity-and-hold-countries-with-dirty-production-accountable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">holding countries with dirty production accountable<\/a>\u00a0as examples.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">That focus on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cassidy.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/cassidy-leads-introduction-of-foreign-pollution-fee-to-hold-china-accountable\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">foreign pollution<\/a>\u00a0is of particular interest to Inglis, who would like to see the United States move toward what he called \u201ca carbon border adjustment mechanism\u201d that taxes emissions-intensive imports. The European Union is in the process of implementing such a system, and will initially\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu\/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">target sectors such as cement, iron and steel, aluminum, fertilizers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201cIt uses the prize of access to the American market to basically muscle the rest of the world into accountability for negative externalities,\u201d said Inglis, who also founded RepublicEn.org to\u00a0promote market-driven solutions to the climate crisis. But enacting that may take time, especially with a party beholden to the politics of former President Donald Trump, who Inglis referred to as the \u201cdeath angel in Republican primaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-ups-image aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\"><span class=\"js-modal-gallery__trigger relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png?w=330 330w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png?w=1024 768w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png?w=160&amp;h=90&amp;crop=1 160w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png?w=640&amp;h=500&amp;crop=1 640w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png?w=96&amp;h=96&amp;crop=1 96w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png?w=150 150w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-c.png 1024w\" alt=\"Grade: C\" data-caption=\"\" data-credit=\"\" \/><button class=\"js-modal-gallery__open\" aria-label=\"Open modal gallery\"><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-default-font-family\"><strong>Jean Su<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Director of the Energy Justice Program at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">One grade landed squarely in the middle of the spectrum: a C from Jean Su, the energy justice program director at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Su praised the Biden administration\u2019s announcement that it is ramping up efforts to curb emissions from methane, a greenhouse gas with 80 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide in the 20 years after its release into the atmosphere. She also heaped plaudits on the IRA\u2019s funding for renewable energy and community solar, as well as more stringent fuel efficiency requirements for cars and light trucks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201cHowever,\u201d she said, \u201cthe Biden administration\u2019s fossil fuel record undermines those strides.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Like others, she was disappointed by the administration\u2019s approval of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/energy\/biden-approves-willow-oil-project-alaska\/\">Willow oil drilling project on Alaska\u2019s North Slope<\/a>. That project is expected to release more than 249 million tons of CO2 over 30 years once the 600 million barrels it produces are drilled and burned. That\u2019s the equivalent of adding some 2 million cars to the road annually. She also condemned its green-lighting of liquefied natural gas exports, as well as its support for a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/article\/mountain-valley-pipeline-and-indigenous-land\/\">controversial natural gas pipeline in Appalachia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">A recent Center for Biological Diversity analysis, she noted,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biologicaldiversity.org\/programs\/climate_law_institute\/pdfs\/Out-Polluting-Progress-Report-2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">found<\/a>\u00a0that fossil fuel projects approved by the Biden administration \u201cthreaten to erase the climate emissions progress from the Inflation Reduction Act and other climate policies.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-ups-image aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\"><span class=\"js-modal-gallery__trigger relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png?w=330 330w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png?w=1024 768w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png?w=160&amp;h=90&amp;crop=1 160w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png?w=640&amp;h=500&amp;crop=1 640w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png?w=96&amp;h=96&amp;crop=1 96w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png?w=150 150w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-d.png 1024w\" alt=\"Grade: D\" data-caption=\"\" data-credit=\"\" \/><button class=\"js-modal-gallery__open\" aria-label=\"Open modal gallery\"><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-default-font-family\"><strong>Ramanan Krishnamoorti<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Vice president of energy and innovation at the University of Houston<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">The only thing that spared the nation from earning an F from Ramanan Krishnamoorti, a chemistry and petroleum engineering professor, was the generous curve he used. His litany of laments was long.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">For starters, the United States still hasn\u2019t made meaningful progress on reforming the permitting process for new electricity transmission. \u201cNo projects at scale are likely to move forward without this,\u201d he warned. Although\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/regulation\/white-house-takes-a-crack-at-much-needed-permitting-reform\/\">the White House made an attempt<\/a>\u00a0at this sorely needed step, that effort has been\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/climate-energy\/transmission-impossible-are-democrats-punting-on-permitting-reform\/\">bogged down in congressional politics.<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Interest rates have been another drag, he added. Higher rates have made it a lot more challenging for investors to support new clean energy projects such as offshore wind. And even if there was more momentum to break ground, he fears there aren\u2019t adequate plans to supply the workers needed to construct them. \u201cWe have not truly developed at scale programs that will deliver the right workforces at the right time for the projects,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Even the year\u2019s bright spot \u2014 EV sales \u2014 is dimming in what Krishnamoorti dubs a cooling of \u201cthe best story of climate progress.\u201d Some hurdles he sees impeding wider adoption include supply chain issues, the cost of EVs, and inadequate infrastructure. Cutting charging times further would help, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">The rise of NIMBYism is another concern for Krishnamoorti. He attributes opposition to things like wind and solar farms to a \u201csugarcoating of the bottlenecks and the tradeoffs that are necessary for the energy transition \u2014 there is a narrative that energy transition technologies do not require tradeoffs and there are no bottlenecks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201cNIMBYism is dictating every project,\u201d he remarked. \u201cUnless there is clarity on the true cost of U.S. climate programs and the impacts it will have \u2014 we will not move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-ups-image aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\"><span class=\"js-modal-gallery__trigger relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png?w=330 330w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png?w=1024 768w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png?w=160&amp;h=90&amp;crop=1 160w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png?w=640&amp;h=500&amp;crop=1 640w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png?w=96&amp;h=96&amp;crop=1 96w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png?w=150 150w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-f.png 1024w\" alt=\"Grade: F\" data-caption=\"\" data-credit=\"\" \/><button class=\"js-modal-gallery__open\" aria-label=\"Open modal gallery\"><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-default-font-family\"><strong>Anna Liljedahl<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Associate scientist, Woodwell Climate Research Center<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Anna Liljedahl, a hydrologist with focus on the Arctic, had no qualms about failing the U.S. Her reasoning was straightforward: Many patents, including climate technologies that would help mitigate the problem are locked away from public view. Although patents are a matter of public record, they grant those holding them exclusive rights to the technology and prevent others from developing or commercially exploiting it for years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201cI bet many are on alternative and low-cost energy solutions,\u201d she said. \u201cUntil that confidentiality is lifted, I am giving our country the lowest grade possible \u2014 no matter what else happened during the year.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-ups-image aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ups-image-inner\"><span class=\"js-modal-gallery__trigger relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png?w=330 330w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png?w=1024 768w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png?w=160&amp;h=90&amp;crop=1 160w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png?w=640&amp;h=500&amp;crop=1 640w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png?w=96&amp;h=96&amp;crop=1 96w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png?w=150 150w, https:\/\/grist.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/final-i.png 1024w\" alt=\"Grade: I (incomplete)\" data-caption=\"\" data-credit=\"\" \/><button class=\"js-modal-gallery__open\" aria-label=\"Open modal gallery\"><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-default-font-family\"><strong>Daniel Kammen<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Physicist and professor of energy at the University of California, Berkeley<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Daniel Kammen, a professor of energy at the University of California, said it\u2019s unclear exactly what the U.S. grade should be, given its mixed performance. For that reason, he\u2019s awarding an incomplete.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">He echoed the near universal praise others had for the Inflation Reduction Act, but said the impact of that landmark climate legislation remains unrealized. Any gains that might have come from the Biden administration\u2019s signature bill were at least somewhat offset by its approval of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/energy\/biden-approves-willow-oil-project-alaska\/\">the Willow project.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Still, Kammen saw the potential for real progress in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/climate-energy\/china-and-the-u-s-the-worlds-biggest-polluters-strike-a-climate-deal\/\">climate agreement the United States and China<\/a>\u00a0signed last month. In finding rare common ground on the issue, the two superpowers agreed to \u201csufficiently accelerate\u201d the deployment of clean energy in a bid to begin displacing fossil fuels and address the climate crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201cThe U.S.-China Sunnylands Agreement could reset the international climate investment and progress effort,\u201d Kammen said.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-default-font-family\"><strong>Bill McKibben<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Climate activist, author, and, yes, an emeritus member of the Grist board<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Kammen wasn\u2019t only one doling out incompletes. Although environmentalist Bill McKibben lauded the investments already made under the IRA, he called such efforts just \u201chalf the assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201c[They] completely punted on the other half \u2014 the dirty energy side,\u201d said McKibben, the founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and justice. But, he added, there are ways to make up for it \u2014 particularly by reining in recent efforts to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/energy\/louisiana-liquified-natural-gas-terminal-lng-gulf-coast\/\">build out the domestic production capacity of liquified natural gas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family hang-punc-medium\">\u201cA decision to block new export licenses for LNG permits would be the biggest single move possible on our planet right now to slow the fossil fuel juggernaut,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAnd give them lots and lots of extra credit.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-default-font-family\"><strong>\u200bKate Marvel<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Senior climate scientist, Project Drawdown<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Climate scientist Kate Marvel wasn\u2019t terribly impressed with the country\u2019s efforts and also gave the U.S. an incomplete. Although the general trendline is headed in the right direction, the nation\u2019s efforts lack urgency. \u201cTotal emissions in the U.S. are falling (mostly due to declines in coal) but nowhere near fast enough to meet Paris Agreement targets,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-default-font-family\">Although she noted that federal legislation such as the IRA, bipartisan infrastructure act and the CHIPs Act have all helped to accelerate the deployment of clean energy, the need for faster action became abundantly clear in 2023. \u201cThe toll of climate disasters this year was heavy: deadly wildfires, devastating floods, brutal heat waves, and smoky skies,\u201d Marvel said. \u201cClimate change has come to the U.S., and the warming is accelerating. Let\u2019s hope climate action accelerates, too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>This article was published by Grist on Dec. 19, 2023. By Tik Root \u2018Tis the season to be merry \u2026 and get graded. As students across the country anxiously await their report cards, we thought <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/energi.media\/news\/heres-how-experts-graded-us-climate-progress-in-2023\/\" title=\"Here\u2019s how experts graded US climate progress in 2023\">[Read more]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":61448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2062,109,80,14],"class_list":{"0":"post-61447","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-climate-action","9":"tag-climate-change","10":"tag-environment","11":"tag-featured"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>climate - Thoughtful Journalism About Energy&#039;s Future<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Grist thought it would be a good time to ask climate experts to grade the United States\u2019 efforts to address the issue over the last year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/energi.media\/news\/heres-how-experts-graded-us-climate-progress-in-2023\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"climate - 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