It’s time to move on from “alarmist rhetoric” about climate change, according to a new playbook from a Democratic think tank.
The Searchlight Institute — a think tank launched earlier this year with the goal of fueling a major political realignment after big Republican wins — is announcing a new framework on climate and energy.
The playbook calls for policies that slash emissions and prioritize abundant and affordable energy. It also urges policymakers to prioritize results — not “purity” — on climate and energy. Decades of “alarmist rhetoric” that contributes to “climate anxiety” have “failed to move public sentiment broadly,” the new framework says.
Climate “anxiety” doesn’t translate well to “sustained action” on combating emissions, said Luke Bassett, the director of Searchlight’s energy security project. Bassett helped draft the Inflation Reduction Act as an aide to then-Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and then worked to implement the law from the Biden Treasury Department.
