Investor Tom Steyer says energy transition is in full swing

President Trump isn't an existential threat to the energy transition and climate change, investor and climate activist Tom Steyer said Tuesday at an Axios House event during Climate Week NYC.Why it matters: Steyer's free-market views offer an upbeat contrast to the Trump administration's focus on fossil fuels and nuclear over other clean-energy technologies.Zoom in: "The energy transition is in full swing," said Steyer, a 2020 presidential aspirant who co-founded and is co-executive chair of investment firm Galvanize.Steyer said this year has been Galvanize's best by far: "Profits scale. We want to change the world. We need to do scale."Steyer called the importance of the investment tax credits for solar and wind "overrated," in response to a segment asking him to rate actions as overrated, properly rated or underrated. Steyer also downplayed Trump's threat to global climate change, noting the U.S. is responsible for just 11% of emissions.China's use of fossil fuels has peaked, pointed out Steyer: "If China's peaked, the world's peaked."Yes, but: Steyer acknowledged that regardless of Trump, "we're in a lot of trouble about climate." He expressed hope that young people can lead the way toward solutions."What I see from young people is they are so accustomed to failure. They are so inured to government lack of success that if I say anything negative, they completely turn off. Like 'I know this, I'm already depressed,'" he said."If I talk about solutions, the things I know will work, the way for us to change the future to actually give them a bright future and us a bright future, they turn on like an electric bulb."What they said: Steyer was more nuanced on his views of specific Trump actions.He called the importance of the Trump administration seeking to abandon the endangerment finding underpinning EPA climate regulations as "underrated." "The idea that polluting is something that you're not allowed to take into consideration, that really matters," said Steyer. "A true level playing field includes all the costs of production of energy."On climate solutions, Steyer called direct air capture "overrated," but that natural methods for carbon removal are "underrated."Zoom out: While the energy transition economy is in full swing, climate advocates are struggling with "the attention economy," an approach that treats human attention as a scarce commodity.Steyer advocates removing intellectual and theoretical arguments for climate, and tying conversations to things that change people's lives like affordable electricity and transportation, clean air, and leading globally.

Comments

World news

ANALYSIS: Can Jets’ Scheifele maintain inspired level of play?

Global News

Comments

Similar News

Trump officials reportedly consider selling student loan debt to private investors

Will investors be flying blind without September CPI data?

Investors look to new GSK boss to boost confidence in drug pipeline

Aberdeen to warn government over private assets for UK retail investors

What retail investors need to know about Japan’s ‘Iron lady’

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio warns of ‘civil war’ amid spiraling US debt, global turmoil and wealth inequality

Investors flock to ‘ex-US’ stock funds in drive to diversify

Big Investors Await Windfall From Trump’s Argentina Bailout

Hargreaves Lansdown warns UK retail investors on crypto despite FCA U-turn

Paying off angry investors is becoming a profitable trade

Gold's rally signals investors' eroding trust in the U.S.

Global investors stage cautious return to Chinese start-ups

Big bond investors tell Reeves to build bigger fiscal buffer

Gold prices hit new high at $4,000 as investors turn to ‘safe haven’ amid fears of Trump policies and global conflicts

Gold prices scale record highs as investors seek safe haven

Europe cannot rely on Elon Musk’s SpaceX, top investor warns

FirstFT: Gold in record-breaking rally as investors fear missing out

US and investors gambling on unproven nuclear technology, warn experts

Don’t let Budget rumours deter the next generation of investors

UK retail investors face delays before they can buy regulated crypto assets

World news

ANALYSIS: Can Jets’ Scheifele maintain inspired level of play?

NHL team forced to apologize for ‘offensive’ pro-ICE message displayed during Hispanic heritage night game

Get up to $51 from Amazon by joining the $2.5 billion settlement. Here’s how

Iraq says some US military advisers will stay due to IS threat in Syria

Trump wants to buy Argentinian beef to bring down prices for Americans

Bible sales see massive jump after Charlie Kirk’s assassination

Rail conductor’s death investigated after he was hit and killed by train in Montana

Russia inflicts terror on Ukrainian soil while Trump toys with Zelensky over giving up land

Nation’s nuclear weapon watchdog gutted to just 400 workers from nearly 2,000 as Trump shutdown layoffs hit agency

Gone in 4 minutes: Dramatic moment Louvre thief breaks into display case during brazen heist in Paris

‘Here’s a script for the bathroom’: US government nuclear physicist arrested on child sex charges

What the Louvre thieves are likely to do with the ‘priceless’ jewels

UK royals and government face pressure to formally strip Prince Andrew of his titles

Pope Leo ‘still coming to grips with enormity of church abuse’

Minute by minute, how thieves took priceless jewellery from Louvre gallery

Pizza Hut UK restaurants collapse into administration putting hundreds of jobs at risk

Yes Brexit has weakened the economy, but here are other reasons it’s struggling

Europe Is At War

I bought a £130k Italian home in 2018 – Brexit checks may force me to sell it

Putin has pulled off a masterstroke – he’s the voice in Trump’s ear

Decor & design for a haute Halloween 2025

About 750,000 Alberta students enter third week of no school amid teachers strike

High-tech cleaning gadgets that actually make life easier

Best LEGO gifts for kids (and kids at heart!)

It’s municipal election day in Alberta, while the results face delays, Global News has you covered

It’s 2025 Edmonton election day — here’s how Global News is covering it

‘Pretty frickin’ cool’: Toronto Blue Jays on the brink of World Series adventure

Amazon cloud services ‘recovering’ after major global outage

Australia protests after Chinese fighter jet releases ‘unsafe’ flares near its aircraft in South China Sea

How the Louvre’s other famous heist became part of art history

South American country swings to right, ending 20 years of socialist rule

Field Marshal Lords Richards on Ukraine, the Iraq dodgy dossier and breaking ranks in Sierra Leone

‘We are McGood at investigating McCrime’: Sheriff’s joke-filled statement after McDonald’s shooting

Operation Inflation: How Portland’s ‘Antifa frog’ became a No Kings protest mascot

Sean Dyche to Nottingham Forest is perfect for two reasons

I’ve lost weight, got stronger and feel less stressed – with a 16p diet hack

I told you, Liverpool fans – keeping hold of Salah was a big mistake

The key websites hit by global internet outage – from Amazon to Snapchat

Cowboy builders wrecked my home installing a heat pump – it’ll cost me £3k to fix

Putin has pulled off a masterstroke – he’s the voice in Trump’s ear

U.S. Intelligence Is Being Blinded by Trumpian Politics

Reliable Not Reckless

Sorry, it’s true: The US really does have crappy bread

Feds 'covered up' toxic chemicals in the water in this Ontario city for 5 years

Ontario legislature returns with questions about controversial retraining fund

Ontario hospitals told to find savings; ministry doesn’t rule out service cuts

Louvre remains closed after robbery of priceless jewellery leaves France 'humiliated'

Vance’s motorcade hit by shrapnel during military exercise despite Newsom warning against ‘reckless’ stunt

Ex-NFL star ‘Muscle Hamster’ Doug Martin dies aged 36 ‘while in police custody’

Police uncover 40,000 SIM cards linked to €5 million cyber scam across Europe

Forget a third term – Trump posts meme threatening to rule into 2048 and beyond

Jesus Montero death: New York Yankees pay tribute after former MLB star dies in motorcycle crash aged 35

Watch: Louvre jewellery thief suspect caught on camera in new footage

Who was Virginia Giuffre and what family has she left behind?

Teacher who stabbed eight-year-old girl to death after luring her into classroom is jailed for life in South Korea

My OCD is back. It’s exhausting and awful, but this time I’m ready

How Pete Hegseth became America’s hypocrite-in-chief