Dem
53
Ties
2
GOP
45
There was a time, roughly 10 years ago, that the only major political party in the entire world that indulged in climate-change denialism was the United States' Republican Party. At that time, we figured that eventually the GOP would have to bow to reality, the way that they eventually had to get on board with the ozone layer being a problem. Since then... results have been mixed. Certainly, some Republicans accept that there is indeed a problem, and something needs to be done. However, Trumpism is not only all-in on denialism, but it has influenced right-wing populist movements in other nations, such that there are now major climate-change-denial parties in places like Brazil, Argentina and several of the Balkan states. On the whole, the planet has probably moved further from global consensus, rather than closer.
Maybe, once skin cancer becomes epidemic, and buying fire/flood insurance for your house becomes completely impossible, the right-wing populists will fall into line. Donald Trump will likely be dead by then, so it's a possibility. However, our view is that the greatest reason for hope is not "C'mon, the Republicans can't keep this up forever," as it was 10 years ago. No, the greatest reason for hope these days is that the market has spoken, and green energy is increasingly a more attractive option, economically, than fossil fuels.
There were a few pretty big stories this week along these lines, but the one that is most obviously relevant to U.S. politics comes out of California, where aspiring presidential candidate Gavin Newsom just signed into law a bill allowing the state's residents to use plug-in solar panels, also known as "balcony" solar panels. This technology allows a user to hang panels on their balcony (hence the alternate name), or place them in their yard, or to put them into other spots that get sunlight. The panels are then plugged into an inverter, and provide electricity for the residence.
This is still a fairly new technology, and governments are still figuring out how to manage it (only 10 states have approved the devices so far). So, there are some issues to be wrinkled out. California, being California, slapped some pretty serious regulatory limits on the panels; they can only produce a maximum of 1.2 kW, and any installation has to undergo an inspection (at a cost of $100 to $800) before it can be put into use. Also, the legislation signed yesterday sunsets in 2031, and so would have to be extended if it is going to remain in place, long-term.
That said, the benefits of these panels, even if they are in the formative stages, are obvious. Not everyone lives in a residence with an exterior roof, and many of those who do are not able to actually utilize that roof. The balcony panels, by contrast, can be placed in many other locations. On top of that, a full rooftop installation is quite expensive (five figures), and usually has to be financed, in one way or another. The balcony panels are much cheaper ($300 to $2,200). Also, these devices do not appear to have been drawn into the cultural/partisan wars, and so have support on both sides of the political aisle, at least at the moment. The California bill was passed by a near-unanimous majority of Democratic and Republican votes, and the first state to legalize the panels was actually... Utah.
So, there may just be hope for the planet yet. Have a good weekend, all! (Z)