"A Biden administration could accelerate the global energy transition, while the U.S. risks falling further behind if Trump wins a second term."

"In June 2017, when President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, many worried other countries would follow suit. Those fears haven’t come to pass, even as the U.S. officially exits the accord on Nov. 4 — the day after the presidential election.

If anything, seasoned climate watchers have been pleasantly surprised to see Asian nations including China, Japan and South Korea publicly set goals to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions before 2050 or 2060. The U.S. is the only one among the world’s five biggest economies that hasn’t made such a pledge. What explains the turn of events?

“It’s a process of systems transformation,” said Nigel Topping, the U.K.’s climate champion for the COP26 global climate conference. “When you’ve got credible pathways, you’ve got the next generation saying ‘you better bloody do it,’ you’ve got scientists saying we have to do it, then businesses and investors start coming on board and policy makers start ratcheting up ambition.”"

Akshat Rathi reports for Bloomberg Green November 2, 2020. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Senate: Electoral Map Wide Open As Democrats Eye Takeover" (E&E News) [3]

"What Voters in Battleground States Think About Climate Change" (New York Times) [4]

"Drilling, Climate Stakes High In Tuesday's Presidential Vote" (The Hill) [5]

"US election: Climate Crisis Struggles To Influence Voters" (DW) [6]

"Inside Environmentalists' Final Efforts to Get Out the Vote" (Earther) [7]