Bill Gates dropped a truth bomb that has the potential to fundamentally reshape the climate conversation in our country. After years of aligning with the doomsday narrative that focuses exclusively on arbitrary, short-term emissions targets, he reversed course. Gates admitted what many of us in the heartland have known all along: While climate change poses serious challenges, our primary focus should be one thing — improving people’s lives.

Gates’s memo marked a significant shift in his climate narrative, reflecting his simple truth that doomerism of the past simply isn’t resonating. He is right. In the recent elections in New Jersey and Virginia, climate was not a top concern for voters or candidates. Govs.-elect Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) won by distancing themselves from the apocalyptic crisis language of the past and focusing on what matters most to Americans: energy affordability.

Our country is facing unprecedented energy demand with the buildout of new data centers and other energy-intensive technologies. And electricity costs are a simple function of supply and demand. What candidates such as Sherrill and Spanberger rightly recognize is that protecting everyday Americans struggling to keep their lights on and homes heated requires more power, and fast.

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As someone who has spent years fighting for both working families and smart energy policy, let me be clear: this isn’t an either/or proposition. We need both climate action and affordable power. Climate change will have serious consequences if we don’t come together to advance solutions, but Gates correctly pointed out that it won’t lead to humanity’s demise. We can acknowledge its challenges while rejecting the extremist rhetoric that has infiltrated our communities and classrooms.

The fundamental problem with our climate approach is its misguided lens. Instead of asking “will this make life better?” we spend trillions of dollars on tax credits and subsidies — and implement heavy-handed regulations — that make energy less reliable, abundant, and affordable. We punish the very industries that produce the energy America and the world need, file lawsuits designed to bankrupt them, and expect developing nations to forgo the economic growth and prosperity we enjoy.

Companies that adhere to the prevailing climate orthodoxy are rewarded politically and financially, while hardworking Americans are left to shoulder the economic burden of ESG-driven mandates. The shifting rhetoric we see now has nothing to do with a change in facts or data, but a fundamental recognition that, despite costly government intervention on behalf of renewables, fossil fuels still dominate the global energy mix and will continue to do so.

Without taxpayer-funded handouts, wind and solar industries are clearly struggling. We now know that these energy sources can also hurt our environment, as well as significantly harm workers and those in the supply chain industries. They do work in certain areas and for certain communities, and that is great, but it’s hard to fathom a scenario where they fully replace the reliable energy sources we depend on to take care of our families and grow our local businesses.

Furthermore, policymakers are finally recognizing the threat posed by our dependence on China for renewable energy components, such as rare earth metals and lithium, as well as finished products such as solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries. An all-of-the-above energy strategy is vital to our energy independence and, by extension, our national security. It’s not just a function of government policy but also consumer choice. Without government mandates, consumers aren’t flocking to electric vehicles, giving up their gas stoves, or using less powerful washing machines.

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I hope Gates’s memo pulls some climate alarmists back from the brink and encourages them to heed his advice: stop prioritizing slogan-friendly emissions targets over policies that will create more abundance and better human lives. Gates has opened the door to an honest conversation we should have been having years ago: focusing on the benefits and drawbacks of different energy sources and whether those trade-offs are worth it.

It’s time to move on from the fearmongering that has been perpetuated by the academic and activist classes for their own benefit. We need a smarter approach that balances strategic climate goals with economic reality to protect families while we make the world safer, healthier, and more equitable for future generations.

Tim Ryan served in the House from 2003 to 2023 and is a senior adviser at the Progressive Policy Institute.

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