How States Can Fight Climate Change Without the Feds
by
May 22, 2025
Introduction:
(Futurity) In the absence of an ambitious federal climate strategy, a new study shows state-led action can make a significant difference in reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change.
The study also found that while state-led action is only slightly more expensive than a coordinated national effort, it would likely result in the adoption of different decarbonization technologies.
“Given that there is little expectation the Trump administration will promote a national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change, we think there is significant value in assessing what kind of difference state-led efforts could make,” says Jeremiah Johnson, corresponding author of the study and an associate professor of civil, construction, and environmental engineering at North Carolina State University.
“For this study, we looked at a combination of 23 states that, based on political and policy indicators, seem most likely to consider joint action to reduce carbon emissions.
“Specifically, we looked at what the cost of such an effort would likely be, which decarbonization technologies would likely be adopted, and the extent to which these efforts could reduce our carbon footprint—and we compared all of these things to the cost, technology, and impact of a coordinated federal effort.”
Read more here:
https://www.futurity.org/united-states ... -3281562
caltrek’s comment: This suggests a broader strategy to battle the Trump administration: regional governmental agencies. These regional pacts could proceed with a little help from the federal courts to fight off likely challenges from the Trump administration (and successor governments in the Trump mold). They would not need the cooperation of red States and could more appropriately address regional conditions. Lowering of federal taxes would also allow for the opportunity to raise state taxes in support of these regional governments. Control of the U.S. Senate by senators in support of such governments would be crucial to block appointments to the federal courts of justices that might otherwise be hostile to such regional agencies. An appeal based on Tenth Amendment rights should be attractive to otherwise conservative senators. More likely, voters will need to elect Democrats to the Senate that would carry on that fight.
Here is the text to the Tenth Amendment:
https://constitution.congress.gov/const ... dment-10/
Don't mourn, organize.
-Joe Hill
