Published July 24, 2023
If proponents of climate policies thought this year’s scorching summer temperatures and extreme weather events would propel the world to embrace rapid action to lower greenhouse gas emissions, they were sorely mistaken. If there is to be any hope that governments might address this issue, they will need a new strategy.
Around the world, nations are choosing to prioritize economic growth and national interest over climate policy. That’s perhaps unsurprising for poor or developing countries, such as India or Indonesia, whose living standards remain far below those found in the West. But it’s also true of the economic powerhouse of China, which — despite its large investments in renewable energy — is still dramatically increasing approvals for coal-fired electricity plants.
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Henry Olsen is a Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He was the Thomas W. Smith distinguished scholar in residence at Arizona State University for the winter/spring 2023 semester.
Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, studies and provides commentary on American politics. His work focuses on how America’s political order is being upended by populist challenges, from the left and the right. He also studies populism’s impact in other democracies in the developed world.
