News broke last month that Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy is shuttering its federal advocacy operations, signaling a retreat from engaging with U.S. policymakers on climate policy. This decision is deeply troubling and represents a misguided approach at a critical moment in the fight against climate change.
Rather than step back from Washington, this is the time to double down on bipartisan engagement, especially with right-of-center stakeholders, to build the durable coalitions necessary for long-term climate success. If Gates truly wants to make a lasting impact on the clean energy transition, disengaging from the political process is the worst thing he could do.
Federal policy is indispensable to scaling up climate solutions. The clean energy transition requires not just private-sector innovation but policy certainty, stable incentives and long-term public investment, all of which are shaped by government action.
Yet Gates’s retreat suggests he either misunderstands the importance of policy engagement or has lost patience with the political process. Although Breakthrough Energy has not offered a clear reason for shutting down its U.S. climate advocacy operations, leaving observers to speculate, the timing and context raise real concerns.
If his move is a simple reallocation of resources to other priorities like global health, that’s one thing. But if it reflects a deliberate abandonment of the federal playing field, that’s both irresponsible and politically naive.
Waiting for the perfect political moment to advance climate policy is not a compelling strategy. Since World War II, U.S. political parties have secured unified control of the White House and Congress an average of just once every 14 years.
If climate action is contingent on Democratic control of Washington, we may not see significant progress again until the mid to late 2030s. Banking on that would be planetary malpractice.
The view that climate progress is possible only under Democratic leadership is widespread in environmental circles. It is also a myth. While it’s true that conservative lawmakers have been historically resistant to climate action, that landscape is changing, and Gates should be leaning into the bright spots, not walking away.
A prime example is the 21 House Republicans who recently sent a letter calling for the preservation of clean energy tax credits, recognizing the economic benefits that these incentives bring to their districts.
Given the slim margins of the House, this cohort represents a wall of defense to preserve the climate wins secured to date. This is a major signal that the politics of clean energy are evolving.
And there’s a clear reason why: Funds mobilized by the Inflation Reduction Act are flowing disproportionately to Republican-led districts, proving that clean energy is not just an urban, blue-state phenomenon — it’s an economic development engine for conservative America.
Climate advocates should seize this moment to build a broader, bipartisan base of support for the energy transition. This matters for the next four years, but also beyond.
The only way to ensure sustained U.S. leadership on ...
