"Twenty-five years ago, Al Gore was in the final stretch of his U.S. presidential campaign, just weeks away from an election that would ultimately slip through his fingers despite winning the popular vote. His platform included ambitious climate action, with America positioned as the natural leader of a global environmental transition. The irony of what has transpired since is not lost on him."
"But Gore isn't lamenting China's climate leadership so much as celebrating that someone is stepping up while expressing frustration that America has ceded the field. As far as he's concerned, the planet doesn't care which country leads the charge toward sustainability as long as someone does. What troubles him more is the opportunity cost, the sense that American innovation and influence could be accelerating global progress if the country weren't busy dismantling its own climate policies."
A U.S. presidential platform 25 years ago promoted ambitious climate action and envisioned America leading a global environmental transition. China has since emerged as the world's leading force in the energy transition, described as the 'first electro state.' The United States has experienced policy setbacks and a retreat from earlier climate ambitions, producing opportunity costs for American innovation and global influence. Leadership by any nation advances planetary sustainability, yet the U.S. retreat represents lost potential to accelerate global progress. Current focal topics include the tech industry's growing demand for rare earth minerals and responsible mining, the AI boom's impact via massive data centers on global energy consumption, and whether the space industry's rocket launches yield a net positive for climate goals.
Read at TechCrunch
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