1. The EPA’s plan to repeal the “endangerment finding” — that’s the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gases. Among those of us working for a thriving future, there’s an understandable mood of deflation (see link to one such post).

2. The massive, ugly, regressive budget bill (OBBB), which will slash clean investment by an estimated $500 billion over the next decade…and lead to fewer EVs sold, a slower transition to the clean grid, and a half a gigaton more emissions. I recommend a recent Latitude Media Open Circuit podcast (link in comments) for a smart breakdown of the damage.

I’m not sugarcoating this. It’s bad and deeply frustrating to see the world’s largest economy retreating on climate, and exhuasting to keep fighting battles we thought we’d won.

But let me give 3 somewhat hopeful(ish) perspectives.

1. The US is not the world. The clean tech transition is global and gaining momentum — based now even more in economics than policy. I’ve been deep in energy data lately and it makes me feel better. About half of all new energy produced is clean now (and ~two-thirds of new electricity generation). Investment in clean tech globally is 2x what’s going into fossil fuels. We’re at a major inflection point. (Required caveat to not get flamed these days: Yes, I know all of this is not fast enough to avoid serious climate problems — the damage has already begun).

2. The US federal government is not the US. There’s a lot going on at state and city levels, and of course in companies. The seeming retreat on corporate sustainability is not all that it seems to be. Decarbonization is still happening and won’t likely slow as much the OBBB would like.

3. The people working on these problems are amazing. If you’re working for a cleaner, healthier world and feeling tired and demoralized, you’re not alone. Keep going — we need each other more than ever.

[Good discussion in the LinkedIn post here]