Policy Document Series · Issue 11 of 35 · Climate & Environment
Climate Change
& Energy
The Most Aggressive Climate Platform in American History
Climate change is the most expensive problem the United States has ever refused to solve. Net-zero by 2045 costs 1% of GDP. Not acting costs 4% — and rising. The technology is ready. The bottleneck is policy and political will.
$149B
Average annual climate disaster costs — more than double the 45-year average
6:1
Return on mitigation — $6T cost prevents $38T in annual damages by 2050
100%
Clean electricity by 2035 · Net-zero economy by 2045
−90%
Solar cost decline since 2010 · Clean energy already won on price
Climate change is the most expensive problem the United States has ever refused to solve. The Potsdam Institute calculates $38 trillion per year in global damages by 2050 versus $6 trillion in mitigation costs — a 6-to-1 return on investment. The CBO projects 4% GDP loss by 2100. The technology to solve this already exists and is already cheaper than what it replaces.
Cost of Acting — Net-Zero by 2045
~1% GDP
$200–300 billion per year in additional clean energy investment — roughly one-third of the Pentagon budget.
Cost of Inaction — Business as Usual
4% GDP
$1.1 trillion per year in losses by 2100, plus $149B/year in current disaster costs and collapsing insurance markets.
This platform delivers nine integrated pillars: a carbon fee returning 100% to households, a $1 trillion clean energy industrial act, $2.5 trillion in grid modernization, fossil fuel subsidy elimination, nuclear fleet preservation, binding carbon budgets in law, a just transition for fossil fuel workers, climate justice for frontline communities, and international leadership.
Clean energy already won on cost. Solar has fallen 90%+ since 2010, batteries 93%. Combined solar + storage at $57/MWh beats new gas peakers. In March 2025, renewables produced 50.8% of monthly US electricity — a record. The bottleneck is not technology. It is the grid interconnection queue holding 2,600 GW of projects, and the political will to replace policy that reverses every four years with binding law.
Climate change is not a future threat. It is the present reality that Americans are paying for every hurricane season, every wildfire summer, and every homeowner's insurance renewal.
A billion-dollar climate disaster every 10 days. The US five-year average: $149 billion per year in disaster costs — more than double the 45-year average. The LA wildfires alone caused $250–275 billion in total economic damage — the costliest wildfires in American history. Hurricanes Helene and Milton cost a combined $115+ billion in a single season.
The financial system is breaking. Florida homeowner insurance premiums are up 200% since 2019. 60 million Americans in California and Florida face a collapsing insurance market as private carriers flee. Between 2011 and 2024, 99.5% of congressional districts experienced at least one federally declared disaster, costing taxpayers $117.9 billion in relief. Climate risk is now a fiscal crisis.
The numbers from Potsdam and the CBO are unambiguous. $38 trillion per year in global economic damages by 2050 if we stay on the current trajectory. Mitigation costs roughly $6 trillion — a 6-to-1 return on investment. The CBO projects US GDP falls 4% by 2100. Prevention is not a sacrifice. It is the most economically rational investment the country can make.
Sources: NOAA — Billion-Dollar Disasters ·
Potsdam Institute — $38T Damages ·
CBO — GDP Impact Projections ·
LA Times — Wildfire Costs
Global CO₂ emissions hit a record 37.4 billion tonnes in 2024. The year 2024 was the hottest in recorded history — 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. Under current policies, the world is on track for 2.6–3.1°C of warming, far beyond the 1.5°C Paris ceiling.
2015
The Paris Agreement
195 nations adopt the Paris Agreement, committing to limit warming to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. The US, under President Obama, is a central architect of the deal.
2017
US Withdrawal
President Trump announces US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement — the only nation in the world to leave. The decision signals that US climate commitments are subject to the whims of a single election cycle.
2021
US Rejoins Paris
President Biden rejoins the Paris Agreement on his first day in office and sets a target of 50–52% emissions reduction by 2030 (vs. 2005 levels).
2022
Inflation Reduction Act
The IRA passes with $369 billion in climate and clean energy investments — the most significant US climate legislation in history. The Biden administration sets a target of 100% clean electricity by 2035.
The Climate Action Tracker rates the United States "Critically Insufficient." Meaning: if all countries followed the US approach, warming would exceed 4°C. US emissions are only 20% below 2005 levels. Trump withdrew from Paris, dismantled IRA provisions, repealed the EPA Endangerment Finding, and is planning more new gas plants than any other country.
Executive orders are not climate policy. Obama established the Clean Power Plan; Trump repealed it. Biden passed the IRA; Trump rolled back provisions. No binding law has ever constrained US emissions. Meanwhile, the UK Climate Change Act — legally binding carbon budgets with an independent scientific body — has cut emissions 54% and survived multiple changes of government. That is the model.
The IRA showed what investment can do. It was the most significant US climate legislation in history, triggering $278 billion in annual clean energy investment and 380 manufacturing facility announcements across 42 states. Trump's rollback killed $24 billion in investment and 21,000 jobs in 2025 alone. The case for codifying clean energy investment in durable law has never been stronger.
Sources: Climate Action Tracker — US Profile ·
Carbon Brief — Global CO₂ Record ·
PV Magazine — IRA Rollback Impact
The countries taking climate seriously are proving that aggressive policy drives economic growth, not contraction. The EU cut emissions 37% while GDP grew 71% — full decoupling. The US can adopt these proven models and scale them.
| Country |
Key Achievement |
Policy Driver |
| European Union |
Emissions 37% below 1990 while GDP grew 71% |
ETS carbon pricing (€65–83/tonne); Fit for 55; 47.5% renewable electricity |
| Sweden |
30% more emissions reduction than comparable countries; zero GDP harm |
World's highest carbon tax (€134/tonne); GDP per capita grew 50%+ |
| Denmark |
80%+ electricity from renewables (2023); wind energy pioneer since the 1970s |
Decades of feed-in tariffs + R&D; created global companies Vestas and Ørsted |
| Norway |
89% EV market share in new car sales (2024) |
Multi-decade incentive stack: ICE taxes + EV exemptions + infrastructure |
| Germany |
52% renewable electricity (2023) despite nuclear phaseout |
Energiewende (energy transition) policy since 2010; feed-in tariffs + industrial transformation |
| United Kingdom |
Emissions 54% below 1990; coal-free electricity milestone (2024); 50%+ renewable |
Legally binding carbon budgets; independent Climate Change Committee; last coal plant closed October 2024 |
| China |
Invested $940B in clean energy in 2024 — 10% of GDP; 60% of global solar manufacturing |
State-directed industrial policy; ZEV mandate; $230B+ in EV subsidies; largest wind installer globally |
Four transferable lessons. Carbon pricing works when the price is high enough — Sweden's €134/tonne tax cut emissions 30% more than comparable countries. Binding legislation beats executive orders — the UK's Climate Change Act survived multiple governments. Industrial policy at China's scale creates market dominance. Consistent long-term signals drive private investment — Norway announced 100% EV sales by 2025 and hit 89% by 2024.
Sources: Stockholm School of Economics — Carbon Tax ·
UK CCC — Emissions Progress ·
CREA — China Clean Energy GDP ·
Reuters — Norway EV Sales
Nine integrated pillars: carbon pricing that puts money in people's pockets, industrial policy at scale, a modern grid, an end to fossil fuel subsidies, nuclear preservation, binding law, a just transition, climate justice, and international leadership. Together they deliver 100% clean electricity by 2035 and economy-wide net-zero by 2045.
$50/tonne → $200+/tonne by 2040 · 100% returned to households
- Federal carbon fee starting at $50/tonne, rising $15/tonne per year to $200+ by 2040. The price signal changes behavior at the industrial scale where it matters.
- 100% of revenue returned as equal monthly dividends to every American household — progressive in real impact because low-income households spend less on carbon and receive the same dividend as everyone else.
- Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): tariff on imports from countries without equivalent carbon pricing — prevents carbon leakage and creates diplomatic leverage for US climate leadership. 68% national support, including 60%+ of Republicans.
- Branded monthly payment, legally protected from clawback. Canada's cautionary lesson: visibility and political durability matter as much as the policy design.
$1 trillion over 10 years · domestic content to 100% US/allied by 2035
- $1 trillion over 10 years in direct grants, loans, and procurement for domestic solar, wind, battery, green hydrogen, and grid manufacturing.
- 25-year federal power purchase agreements for offshore wind and grid-scale storage — the long-term signals that unlock private capital at scale.
- Domestic content requirements escalating to 100% US/allied content by 2035 — build the supply chain here, not in China.
- Critical minerals investment: domestic mining, processing, and recycling to break China's 70%+ rare earth monopoly.
- Restore and strengthen the IRA: reverse all Trump-era rollbacks; expand clean energy tax credits. China invests roughly $625B/year in clean energy versus the US ~$300B. The gap must close.
$2.5 trillion through 2035 · clear 2,600 GW interconnection backlog
- The US grid is 1950s infrastructure running a 21st-century economy. 2,600 GW of renewable projects are stuck in interconnection queues — more than double the entire installed US generating fleet. 80% never connect.
- $2.5 trillion in grid investment through 2035: high-voltage transmission corridors, smart grid technology, and storage integration.
- Mandatory interconnection timeline: maximum 18–24 months for cluster processing versus the current 3–5 year average.
- Federal backstop siting authority for transmission lines of national importance — end the ability of individual states to veto multistate projects.
- FERC reform: prevent fast-tracking fossil fuel projects over renewables; require long-term planning for future demand growth.
$29–35B/yr in direct preferences eliminated · $757B/yr in unpriced externalities
- Eliminate $29–35 billion in direct federal fossil fuel tax preferences: intangible drilling costs, percentage depletion allowance, domestic manufacturing deduction, enhanced oil recovery credit.
- Including unpriced externalities (health costs, climate damage): the fossil fuel industry's true subsidy is $757 billion per year. It is a net drain on the federal budget by every honest accounting.
- No new LNG export terminals — every terminal locks in 30 years of fossil fuel infrastructure and forecloses the clean transition in destination markets.
- Restore and strengthen methane regulation — methane is 80× more potent than CO₂ over 20 years. Leak reduction is among the cheapest near-term climate actions available.
- No new fossil fuel leases on federal lands and waters — redirect lease revenue and agency attention to offshore wind.
97 GW existing fleet preserved · SMR R&D funded, not overhyped
- Nuclear provides 19% of US electricity and over half of all carbon-free power. Every premature reactor closure is a direct climate setback that no amount of solar can immediately replace.
- Aggressively defend the existing 97 GW fleet — extend production tax credits; support at-risk plants commercially; prevent politically motivated closures.
- Support reactor restarts: Three Mile Island Unit 1 restart (Microsoft PPA, operational 2027–2028) is the model — market-driven, carbon-free, existing infrastructure.
- Be honest about SMRs: useful long-term hedge, but no Western SMR construction has begun. NuScale's flagship was canceled when costs escalated from $58 to $89/MWh. Fund R&D, but build the grid on renewables + storage + existing nuclear, not promised technology.
Legally binding 5-year carbon budgets · independent enforcement board · citizen standing to sue
- Legally binding 5-year carbon budgets set in statute, covering all sectors and all greenhouse gases. Not executive orders — law that survives elections.
- Independent National Climate Science and Policy Board subject to Universal Mandatory Duty to Act Standard: credible complaints investigated within 30 days; inaction defaults to action; 180-day disposition deadline; no-deadlock rule; citizens may sue to compel action; officials obstructing 75%+ of credible complaints face removal; annual public enforcement report.
- Legal standing for states and citizens to sue the federal government for failure to meet carbon budgets — the enforcement mechanism that makes the commitment real.
- NDC targets codified in statute — rejoin Paris and make the commitments law, not presidential preference subject to reversal on day one of the next administration.
$100 billion over 10 years · 5-year wage replacement · modeled on Germany's coal transition
- Clean energy already employs 3.56 million Americans — nearly 8× the ~450,000 direct fossil fuel extraction workers. The jobs exist. The transition must ensure specific communities don't bear a disproportionate cost.
- Fossil Fuel Community Transition Authority: $100 billion over 10 years for direct wage replacement (5 years at full pay), community economic development, retraining with stipends, and early retirement for older workers. Modeled on Germany's successful coal transition.
- Priority clean energy investment in fossil fuel communities — same principle as BE SMART (Issue 9): communities losing old industries are first in line for new ones.
- Energy Communities tax credits (IRA model) expanded and made permanent — incentivize private clean energy investment specifically in affected regions.
Justice40 — 40% of clean investment to disadvantaged communities · federal pollution mapping
- Black communities face PM2.5 concentrations 13.7% higher than white communities, and the disparity has widened 16–40% over the past decade even as overall pollution fell. Climate and pollution burdens are not distributed equally.
- Federal CalEnviroScreen equivalent: mandatory cumulative pollution burden mapping for all federal permitting and investment decisions. California's model has directed $9+ billion to disadvantaged communities.
- Justice40 expanded: 40% of all clean energy and climate investment directed to disadvantaged communities — codified, tracked, and enforced.
- Strengthen fenceline monitoring: reverse Trump-era rollbacks; make exceedances violations; require real-time public disclosure of pollution data.
- Superfund acceleration: dramatically increase cleanup funding; prioritize environmental justice communities; strict polluter-pays enforcement.
Rejoin Paris · $100B/yr climate finance · Loss and Damage Fund
- Rejoin and lead the Paris Agreement — codify commitments in statute so they survive presidential transitions. No more Day 1 withdrawals.
- $100 billion per year in US international climate finance by 2030 — direct grants as minimum 40% of total. Mobilize private investment at scale through guarantees and blended finance.
- $20 billion to the Loss and Damage Fund over 5 years — the US contribution is currently zero under Trump. Countries that caused the most emissions owe the most support to those suffering the consequences.
- Return a portion of CBAM revenue to a Global Clean Energy Transition Fund for developing countries — aligns trade leverage with diplomatic leadership.
- Champion MDB reform: $500+ billion in multilateral development bank clean energy lending, unlocking the private capital flows that developing economies need.
Sources: Yale — Carbon Fee Polling ·
Brookings — CBAM Support ·
Clean Investment Monitor — IRA Impact ·
Berkeley Lab — Interconnection Queue ·
Oil Change International — US Subsidies ·
EIA — Nuclear Electricity Share ·
World Nuclear News — NuScale Cancellation ·
WRI — Clean Energy Jobs ·
GWU — Pollution Disparities
Net-zero by 2045 costs approximately 0.2–1.2% of GDP across all feasible pathways — additional annual investment of ~$200–300 billion, roughly one-third of the Pentagon budget. The cost of inaction: 4% GDP loss by 2100, $149 billion per year in current disaster costs, and collapsing insurance markets. This is the most economically rational investment the country can make.
| Component |
Scale |
Funding Source |
| Carbon fee-and-dividend |
$50/tonne rising $15/yr |
100% returned to households as equal monthly dividends. Net cost to government: zero. |
| Clean Energy Industrial Act |
$1T over 10 years |
Issue 2 progressive tax revenue + redirected fossil fuel subsidies ($29–35B/yr). |
| Grid modernization |
$2.5T through 2035 |
Federal investment seeding $1.5T+ in private capital mobilized by long-term PPAs. |
| Fossil fuel subsidy elimination |
$29–35B/yr redirected |
Direct savings from eliminating unjustified tax preferences. |
| Worker transition |
$100B over 10 years |
Less than one year of fossil fuel subsidies. Partially from carbon fee revenue. |
| Climate justice (Justice40) |
40% of investments |
Directed allocation within existing spending. Superfund polluter-pays enforcement. |
| International climate finance |
$100B/yr by 2030 |
Federal budget + portion of CBAM border adjustment revenue. |
Phase 1 — Day 1 to Month 6
Immediate Action and Legislative Introduction
Rejoin Paris Agreement. Carbon fee-and-dividend legislation introduced. Restore IRA in full. Methane regulation reinstated. Fossil fuel subsidy repeal introduced. FERC reform initiated. No new fossil fuel leases.
Phase 2 — Month 6 to Year 1
Core Legislation Enacted
Carbon fee enacted. US Climate Accountability Act introduced with binding 5-year carbon budgets. Grid modernization bill passed. Nuclear fleet support package enacted. International climate finance commitments made.
Phase 3 — Year 1 to Year 2
Industrial Deployment Begins
Clean Energy Industrial Act operational. CBAM implemented. Fossil Fuel Community Transition Authority funded. Justice40 expanded to 40%. Interconnection queue reform mandated and enforced.
Phase 4 — Year 2 to Year 5
Scale and Track
Grid buildout accelerating. Manufacturing facilities operational nationwide. 50% emissions reduction target tracked against carbon budgets. International climate finance scaled to $100B/year.
Phase 5 — Year 5 to Year 10
Transformation Complete
100% clean grid by 2035. 100% ZEV new car sales by 2035. 75% emissions reduction by 2035 milestone. Worker transition complete. Carbon budgets enforced in court if necessary. Path to 2045 net-zero locked in law.
"We can't afford aggressive climate action."
We can't afford not to. Climate disasters cost $149 billion per year and rising. The CBO projects $1.1 trillion per year in GDP losses by 2100. The Potsdam Institute calculates a 6-to-1 return on mitigation investment. Net-zero costs 0.2–1.2% of GDP; not acting costs 4%. Clean energy is already cheaper than fossil fuels. This is the most economically rational investment the country can make.
"A carbon tax will crush consumers."
Not when 100% of revenue is returned as equal monthly dividends. Low-income households spend less on carbon and receive the same dividend — they come out ahead. Revenue-neutral carbon taxes poll at 68% support. Sweden's €134/tonne carbon tax cut emissions 30% more than comparable countries with zero GDP harm. The price signal changes industry behavior; the dividend protects households.
"Renewables can't power the grid reliably."
In March 2025, renewables produced 50.8% of monthly US electricity — a record. Battery storage has fallen 93% in cost and provides dispatchable power at $78/MWh. This platform preserves the nuclear fleet for baseload and invests $2.5 trillion in grid modernization. Texas — not exactly a progressive state — runs the world's largest wind fleet. Reliability is a solvable engineering problem, not a fundamental constraint.
"China will just emit more. Why should we act?"
China invested $940 billion in clean energy in 2024 and controls 80%+ of solar and battery manufacturing. They are acting — for economic dominance. The question is whether the US competes or concedes. The CBAM creates trade leverage: countries without carbon pricing face tariffs. Leading on clean energy is economic strategy, not sacrifice — and it is how the US regains manufacturing leadership in the industries that will define the next century.
"This will destroy fossil fuel jobs."
Clean energy already employs 3.56 million Americans — 8× the 450,000 direct fossil fuel extraction workers. This platform invests $100 billion over 10 years specifically in fossil fuel community transition: 5-year wage replacement, retraining, early retirement, and priority clean energy investment in affected communities. The jobs exist. The transition must be managed with the same seriousness we'd apply to any industrial restructuring — and this one comes with a plan.
The platform at a glance — every commitment in this document, quantified:
| Action |
Target / Scale |
| Clean electricity grid | 100% by 2035 |
| Economy-wide net-zero | 2045 with binding 5-year carbon budgets |
| Carbon fee | $50/tonne rising $15/yr — 100% dividend to households |
| Clean Energy Industrial Act | $1 trillion over 10 years + restored IRA |
| Grid modernization | $2.5 trillion through 2035 |
| Fossil fuel subsidies | Eliminated — $29–35B/yr redirected |
| New fossil infrastructure | Banned — no new LNG terminals, no new federal leases |
| Nuclear fleet | Preserved and subsidized; SMR R&D funded honestly |
| Worker transition | $100B/10 years — 5-year wage replacement |
| Climate justice | Justice40 at 40%; federal pollution mapping mandatory |
| International finance | $100B/yr by 2030; $20B Loss & Damage Fund |
Issue 2
TaxationProgressive tax revenue funds the $1T Clean Energy Industrial Act; carbon fee-and-dividend is itself a new progressive revenue and redistribution mechanism.
Issue 3
HousingGreen building standards; energy efficiency retrofits lower utility costs for low-income housing; resilient infrastructure for climate-vulnerable communities.
Issue 5
ImmigrationClimate migration is accelerating globally. Policy is needed for domestic displacement from sea-level rise, wildfires, and extreme heat — and for international climate refugees.
Issue 8
ChinaClean energy manufacturing competition is the central economic battleground of the US-China relationship. CBAM aligns with targeted tariffs on national security sectors.
Issue 9
Defense Spending~$300B/yr clean energy investment equals one-third of the Pentagon budget. Energy security reduces geopolitical military dependence. BE SMART model transfers directly to fossil fuel community transition.
Issue 14
TradeThe CBAM creates trade leverage and aligns climate policy with economic competition. Domestic content requirements rebuild manufacturing supply chains.
"Climate change is the most expensive problem the United States has ever refused to solve. We are paying $149 billion a year in disaster costs. The technology is ready. Solar and wind are the cheapest electricity in history. Net-zero by 2045 costs about 1% of GDP. Not acting costs 4% — and rising. This is not a sacrifice. It is the most economically rational investment the United States can make."
— The Common Good Party
Paid for by The Common Good Party (thecommongoodparty.com) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.