In the three decades since the climate crisis became part of the global agenda, scientists, activists, and politicians have largely assumed that government would need to dictate the terms of the transition. “And that is a process that will only happen if the American private sector, including the incumbent energy producers in the United States, utilities and otherwise, are an inextricable part of that process-that’s defined our approach from the get go.”įor some, the emergence of the private sector as a key collaborator in efforts to tackle climate change is an indication of the power of capitalism to tackle societal challenges for others it’s a sign of capitalism’s corruption of public institutions. We “need to accelerate our transition” off fossil fuels, says Brian Deese, director of President Biden’s National Economic Council. “We want you to power this country for the next 100 years with zero-carbon technologies.”Īcross the Biden Administration, and around the world, government officials have increasingly focused their attention on the private sector-treating companies not just as entities to regulate but also as core partners. “I’m here to extend a hand of partnership,” Granholm told the crowd. In total, the agency is gearing up to spend tens of billions of dollars on public-private partnerships to speed up the energy transition. Department of Energy has partnered with private companies to bolster the clean energy supply chain, expand electric-vehicle charging, and commercialize new green technologies, among a range of other initiatives. The scene encapsulated this moment in the fight to address global warming: some of the most ardent activists say that companies can’t be trusted governments are saying they must play a role. secretary of energy, offered a different message to the executives: the Biden Administration needs your help to tackle climate change. Two days later, inside a standing-room-only hotel ballroom, Jennifer Granholm, the U.S. Their signs accused the corporate executives inside of betraying humanity in pursuit of financial return. On a brisk Monday in Houston in early March, dozens of protesters gathered across the street from the giant Hilton hotel hosting CERAWeek, the energy industry’s hallmark annual conference.
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