Many U.S. states taking action to curb climate change. Barry Rabe comments to U.S. News on how much progress they can make individually.
“You have kind of a half a loaf,” says Barry Rabe. “And it's no secret that a good many of those climate alliance states are ones that don't produce fossil fuels and many don't have large industrial sectors. It doesn't mean that their emissions are trivial, but some of the real, real challenges are in the states that are least likely to sign up for that agreement.”
“If we were having this conversation around 2005 or 2008, you saw far more states with split party control or Republican leadership much more willing to engage on climate than they are now,” Rabe adds. “So we talk about this all the time – the hyperpartisanship at the federal level. But we've also seen that statewide to the point where the best single predictor of a state's commitment on climate is which party controls the government.”
