Virtue Signaling Before Trump Changes the Game – Watts Up With That?

In a development that feels less like genuine policy and more like a desperate exercise in virtue signaling, President Biden’s administration has announced an ambitious new climate target under the Paris Agreement. According to Reuters, the goal is to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 61% to 66% below 2005 levels by 2035—a lofty aim announced just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office, promising to undo much of Biden’s climate agenda​.

This move is being sold as “durable” and “achievable” by the administration, with officials touting the supposed permanence of measures embedded in the Inflation Reduction Act and infrastructure bill. John Podesta, Biden’s senior climate advisor, even claimed the administration’s investments would “continue to pay dividends for our economy and our climate for years to come”​. Of course, whether these “dividends” will materialize—or whether the whole scheme is more likely to drain the treasury—is another question entirely.

“Our investments under this administration are durable and will continue to pay dividends for our economy and our climate for years to come, allowing us to set an ambitious and achievable 2035 target,”

said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to Biden for international climate policy.

The Numbers Don’t Add Up

To hear the administration tell it, this target is ambitious but within reach. However, independent assessments paint a less rosy picture. The U.S. is already behind its earlier target of reducing emissions by 50%-52% by 2030, according to the Rhodium Group. Even under current policies, a reduction of only 46% by 2035 is projected—far short of this new goal​. In plain terms, the Biden administration has promised the environmental equivalent of a moonshot without a rocket.

And let’s not forget that the Paris Agreement itself is little more than a grand diplomatic stage play. Countries submit “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) based on aspirational goals, often without credible pathways to achieve them. If this agreement were a college group project, the U.S. just volunteered to write the entire report while everyone else quietly heads to happy hour.

State-Level Action: A Patchwork of Activism

The administration insists that even if Trump guts federal climate policies—as he’s all but promised—states will pick up the slack. California, New York, and other reliably left-leaning states are part of an alliance pledging to align with Paris Agreement goals. But this patchwork approach is riddled with inefficiencies, contradictions, and regional resistance. States like Texas and Wyoming are unlikely to play along with a policy framework that disproportionately penalizes their economies while prioritizing the whims of coastal elites.

Moreover, the idea that states will collectively meet these lofty goals is laughable given the uneven enforcement mechanisms and wildly differing political climates. The administration is essentially hoping that states will voluntarily carry out a federally abandoned mandate, a strategy as coherent as hoping cats will organize themselves into a marching band.

Trump’s Plan: Fossil Fuels and Energy Dominance

Enter Donald Trump, who campaigned on an unapologetic platform of “energy dominance.” His transition team is reportedly planning measures to roll back support for electric vehicles, impose tariffs on battery materials, and ramp up fossil fuel production​. These policies stand in stark contrast to Biden’s approach, prioritizing economic pragmatism over ideological purity.

Love him or hate him, Trump’s energy policies resonate with a significant portion of the electorate, particularly in energy-producing states. For these voters, Biden’s climate targets are not only unattainable but also actively harmful—sacrificing American jobs and energy independence on the altar of globalist climate orthodoxy.

The Global Context: America Overpromises, Others Underperform

Even if Biden’s climate plan weren’t headed for the chopping block, it’s worth questioning the wisdom of making grand commitments in a global framework where compliance is uneven at best. As of now, only the UAE and Brazil have announced new NDCs ahead of the February deadline​. Meanwhile, major emitters like China and India continue to expand their coal-fired power plants, all while delivering sanctimonious lectures about climate justice.

This is the fatal flaw of the Paris Agreement: it requires Western countries to hobble their economies while letting developing nations off the hook. Biden’s new climate target effectively signals to the world that the U.S. is willing to bear the brunt of emissions reductions while other nations take a free ride.

Virtue Signaling Meets Political Reality

Let’s not mince words—this new target is not a serious policy proposal; it’s political theater. The Biden administration knows full well that Trump will likely withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement (again), rendering this target meaningless. But in the waning days of Biden’s presidency, it seems the administration is more interested in leaving behind a symbolic legacy than in crafting policies that will survive the next administration.

And symbolic gestures, while satisfying to the climate activist crowd, won’t keep the lights on. Biden’s climate policies have already contributed to rising energy costs, supply chain disruptions, and an erosion of America’s industrial base. The idea that these same policies will now deliver us to some renewable-energy utopia is the kind of magical thinking that belongs in a fantasy novel, not in government policy.

Conclusion: A Legacy of Hubris

In announcing this new climate target, Biden’s administration has offered a masterclass in virtue signaling: bold promises with no teeth, grounded in shaky assumptions, and doomed to collapse under the weight of political and economic realities. It’s a final act of defiance before Trump takes the reins and charts a radically different course.

The Biden team may believe their efforts will endure, but the reality is clear: Trump’s policies, grounded in economic realism and energy pragmatism, will quickly dismantle this house of cards. The rest of us would do well to buckle up—2025 is shaping up to be a wild ride.

H/T Steve Milloy

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