How Did the US Fare on its 2023 Climate Goals?

Climate experts are divided on how much progress the nation made.

1 minute read

December 31, 2023, 11:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Rows of solar panels on a large rooftop with two workers in hard hats walking between rows.

rh2010 / Adobe Stock

What kind of progress did the United States make on climate policy in 2023? Writing in Grist, Tik Root outlines how experts would grade the nation’s performance on its climate goals.

“Let’s 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.” Matusaik sees hope in the record levels of funding for clean energy and efficiency retrofits.

On the other end of the spectrum, “Anna Liljedahl, a hydrologist with focus on the Arctic, had no qualms about failing the U.S.” Liljedahl attributes her harsh critique to the way U.S. patent law prevents the commercialization of new products, which, in her view, holds back innovation in the clean energy sector.

See the source article for opinions from more climate science experts.

Tuesday, December 19, 2023 in Grist

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