Where does the next US president stand on the climate?

Climate change has failed to endure as an issue among US voters, despite its salience during the 2020 campaign when political conditions were very different.

The US remains the world’s second -largest emitter of greenhouse gases: in 2022 , 5.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide were released, around 13.5 per cent of the global total.

But an empty victory, for the Democrat ’s election does not guarantee the US will be in the clear on the climate. If she is elected on 5 November , Harris will have a thankless task ahead of her in reducing America ’s contribution to this spiralling global crisis. This article was originally published as an edition of the Green Transition , New Statesman Spotlight’s weekly newsletter on the economics of net zero . To see more editions and subscribe, click here..