Biden’s Reelection – A question of if we want renawables, solar, electric cars and heat pumps.

The renewable, low carbon energy revolution has made a great deal of progress in recent years. It’s not perfect and there is a lot of legitimate criticism of the technology’s imperfections – environmental costs of construction, it’s less convenient nature, it’s technical flaws – but it’s getting to the point of widespread adoption if we allow it.

I fear that should a Republican take the White House much of the potential progress of recent years on electrification and renewable energy will be stillborn. A lot of potential wasted, needed adoption of advanced technologies to slow the progress of climate change stalled. While no administration can completely reverse progress, a lot could be lost under a second Donald Trump or Republican administration in 2025.

Even should Joe Biden be reelected, renewable energy and electrification faces headwinds. Many proposals are overly ambitious. But most are a step in the right direction and even if we only partially obtain ambitious plans – with unaffordable and environmentally bad proposals killed – then it is still progress. Yet such progress my be even more fleeting under a Republican administration.

I don’t agree with giving Joe Biden and his party an open checkbook to do whatever it wants on climate change. But with moderation, public participation and sensible adoption of the right technologies I believe we would come out ahead of where we would under a more conservative minded administration.