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Welcome to the Climate Leadership Council’s year in review. Thank you for joining us for another busy year of research, events, and partnership to advance effective, fair and lasting climate solutions. With so much focus on the election and impending changes in Washington, it’s easy to forget just how much has transpired since January. With a new administration and Congress coming into office, we have new challenges and big new opportunities in front of us. The Council is focused on several areas to make meaningful progress in the upcoming year.



But before we turn the calendar to 2025, let’s look back at some of the highlights of 2024:












1. Harnessing America’s strengths to lead the future economy and lower global emissions










In September, we released “Prioritizing American Interests: A New Strategy for Global Decarbonization,” a set of intentionally pro-U.S. climate solutions that emphasize four key areas: American competitiveness, economic growth, resource security, and geopolitical influence. In case you missed it, check out the executive summary and our blog series to explore the paper’s four key areas in greater depth. You can also listen to the Council’s CEO Greg Bertelsen on the EcoRight Speaks podcast, where he discussed how this approach connects to crucial domestic policy issues while making strides in reducing global emissions––benefiting U.S. industries, workers, and geopolitical interests. These themes will continue to serve as guiding principles for our work in 2025. As we noted in our letter to the transition team, we can unleash economic growth, revitalize our manufacturing sector, foster energy security and prosperity, and reduce emissions.






















2. Driving progress on both sides of the aisle


We worked with a range of lawmakers and government officials to guide policies this year. Support continued and grew for the bipartisan "Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act"—legislation inspired by Council research. U.S. Representatives John Curtis (R-UT) and Scott Peters (D-CA) joined us to announce the introduction of the bill in the House this summer. Other events on Capitol Hill included briefings for House and Senate staff on America’s Carbon Advantage where our industry partners shared how their investments and innovation have helped the U.S. become one of the most carbon-efficient countries in the world. The Center’s executive director, Catrina Rorke, also travelled for important conversations in lawmakers’ home states. We spoke at Senator Bill Cassidy's (R-LA) Louisiana Energy Security Summit about safeguarding American trade interests, and we joined Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) at the Rhode Island Energy, Environment and Ocean Leaders Day to discuss carbon import fees and the future of climate policy. Finally, we engaged with the administration on their interest in climate and trade. After the announcement of the White House Climate and Trade Task Force, we hosted Biden administration officials Ali Zaidi, Sarah Ladislaw, and Ben Beachy to discuss their work on climate and trade policies. We also provided testimony to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on supply chain resiliency.  










Reps. Peters and Curtis discuss the PROVE IT Act with the Council's Greg Bertelsen.







A Senate briefing with Ben Pickett, Nucor Corporation, Linda Dempsey, CF Industries, David Brown, Constellation, and Jeff Hansen, Steel Dynamics, Inc.
















3. Serving as a trusted resource



This year, we continued our work diving into complex policy topics, publishing cutting-edge research, and advancing international cooperation. In April, we published “An Approach to Interoperability of U.S. and EU Systems for Determining GHG Emissions Intensity of Steel.” This report proposes a new approach for streamlining and coordinating emissions accounting systems across differing international programs. In light of recent progress to reduce hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) levels through trade policy, we also released “What Fixing the Ozone Layer Can Teach Us About Carbon Import Fees” and an op-ed on lessons for climate action. These publications drew parallels between successful ozone layer protection efforts like the Montreal Protocol, and how climate and trade policies can further lower global GHG emissions. Our international efforts culminated in a visit to the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, where the Council’s Matt Porterfield was invited to participate in discussions on trade contributions to decarbonization efforts. And our very first paper of the year, “Revisiting Carbon Pricing in a New Landscape,” showcased our new in-house model for examining the effectiveness of various climate policies. 




























4. Working with our friends and partners



The Council’s impact this year—and every year—was multiplied through our partnership with you. We are honored to serve as a convenor for experts and leaders from industry, think tanks, environmental organizations, and many more. We enjoyed seeing so many of you at our summer Capitol Hill reception, Open House at 1500 K St NW to open our new office, and many other events. It’s the work we do together with friends and allies that ensures we are advancing towards better policy solutions. We wanted to send a special thanks for the invitations to share our ideas at events hosted by our friends at Carbon Free Europe, Washington International Trade Association, Ohio State University, ODI, PwC, EarthX, American Petroleum Institute, Australia's Centre for Corporate Public Affairs, American Iron and Steel Institute, SAP, Georgetown Law School, the Roosevelt Project, Center on Global Energy Policy, Department of Energy, Bipartisan Policy Center, Aspen Institute, Atlantic Council, Brookings Institute, Silverado Policy Accelerator, ThirdWay, Climate Week, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Virginia Tech, MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, Alliance for Market Solutions, and Harvard Salata Institute. Thank you to all our dedicated partners for hosting us and working with us this year!





















Catrina Rorke on a panel with Silverado Policy Accelerator.





Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Greg Bertelsen, and Board member Véronique Bardach at our reception this June.











Together we are working to tackle this global, multi-decade challenge. It’s not always easy, but we’re grateful to be in partnership with you, moving the ball forward. In this next phase we will continue making progress together by advancing emission-lowering policies that create a more level playing field for U.S. manufacturers, enhance our resource security, and set us on a trajectory for sustained economic growth.





We wish you a happy holiday season and hope to see you next year!

The Climate Leadership Council







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