· 3 min read
illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: President Trump’s escalating rollback of clean energy policies has triggered a wave of investment withdrawals from the U.S. renewable sector, while simultaneously accelerating the global shift toward green energy led by China and emerging economies
• The International Energy Agency has slashed its U.S. growth forecast for renewables, citing cancelled tax incentives and halted projects, even as international adoption of solar, wind, and electric vehicles surges due to falling costs and energy security imperatives
🔭 The context: The U.S. once led clean energy innovation, but Trump’s second-term policies — marked by rhetoric against renewables and a fossil fuel-first agenda — have reversed that trajectory
• Recent decisions include cancelling $7.56 billion in clean energy funding and blocking major offshore wind projects
• Meanwhile, countries like China, India, and Brazil are massively scaling up renewables, driven by economics rather than environmental ideology
• China alone is installing enough solar and wind capacity annually to power 200 million homes
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Despite political headwinds in key markets, the global clean energy transition has reached what the UN calls a “tipping point”
• Renewables are now the cheapest power source in many countries and are set to overtake coal as the dominant source of global electricity next year
• U.S. disengagement risks ceding technological leadership and geopolitical influence to China, which already dominates solar and EV supply chains
• This shift carries implications for climate progress, trade dynamics, and energy sovereignty worldwide
⏭️ What's next: Analysts expect global clean energy growth to continue, with or without U.S. participation
• Fortescue and other major firms have already redirected billions in planned U.S. investments to countries with more supportive policy environments
• Developing nations — from Pakistan to Liberia —are rapidly adopting solar to leapfrog fossil fuel infrastructure
• As Trump conditions trade deals on fossil fuel adoption and warns allies against renewables, global markets appear to be aligning around the cost advantage and energy resilience of clean tech
💬 One quote: “You can keep your disbelief in global warming all you like, but don’t deny your people the advantages of the lowest-cost energy on earth.” – Andrew Forrest, Executive Chairman, Fortescue
📈 One stat: The U.S. is projected to run a $152 billion clean energy trade deficit by 2035, while China is on track to earn more from clean tech exports than Gulf nations earned from oil in 2024
See on illuminem's Data Hub™ the sustainability performance of Fortescue, and other clean energy companies like Vestas, Iberdrola, and Adani
Click for more news covering the latest on renewable energy
