Hi John,

T.J. here filling in for Jared, with your semi-weekly climate and clean energy news fix.

As the sun sets on President Donald Trump’s tenure, we’re gearing up for all of the opportunities for recovery and renewal across the economy, clean energy, and climate that President-elect Joe Biden’s victory makes possible. 
 
Biden will enter office with a clear mandate from his supporters to act on climate. Sixty-eight percent of voters polled in the summer who intended to support Biden said climate change factored heavily into their vote. And so it did: According to exit polls, an equal 68% of voters who called climate change a serious problem voted for Biden. They understood the stark disparity between the two candidates’ visions for clean energy and the environment. 

Pairing Clean Energy and Climate with Recovery—And Communicating Its Impact

The Trump Administration’s fumbled pandemic response and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell’s laggardly commitment to enacting another aid package has placed this country in dire need of an ambitious recovery plan. With COVID-19 infections skyrocketing and the economy still puttering along, Biden will necessarily need to tackle these twin crises starting Jan. 20. 
 
Biden’s climate and clean energy plans harmonize with a strong economic recovery. His technology-inclusive, innovative, and equitable climate platform supports the kind of investments in clean energy that can simultaneously create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and increase our resilience to climate change. 
 
The president-elect’s climate mandate is an asset, not a hindrance: The economic stimulus that the country requires is a limited-time opportunity to enact big, bold funding in support of clean energy, and make good on his promise to the Americans who voted for him to act on climate. 
 
The key to successfully linking climate and economic recovery plans will lie in effectively communicating both the anticipated and actual positive impacts of any clean energy investments made through recovery. The unexpected success of conservatives’ efforts to tar the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s $90 billion energy stimulus by pointing to one company’s failure is a teachable moment. As former President Barack Obama recalls in his new memoir, “Solyndra’s failure stood to overshadow the Recovery Act’s remarkable success in galvanizing the renewable energy sector.”

Clean Energy Targets are Trending
 
Clean energy targets continue to trend here in the United States. While the Trump Administration remained absent from climate action, states, cities, and utilities set 96 ambitious clean energy commitments—almost nine times as many targets as were adopted from 2012-2016. In total, 11 states have binding 100% clean or renewable energy standards by 2050 at the latest; five more have non-binding targets or standards to reach 100% clean or renewable energy. 
 
Most of these commitments—76% in just the past four years—are open to every zero-carbon resource, including carbon capture and both existing and advanced nuclear. These technology-inclusive policies allow localities and businesses to reach their goals more quickly. 

READ: Clean Energy Targets Are Trending (With New Cities and States Making Commitments!)