As climate change advocates and scientists grapple with a new era of anti-climate change politics around the globe, new groups are emerging and finding innovative ways to make incremental inroads on climate change: Coalitions.

Political coalitions have long been a part of the climate change fight and have done plenty of harm as well as good in a litany of environmental battles. Recently, a group of 11 states on the East Coast of the US has seen some success in building a coalition that stretches across state borders to curb greenhouse gases, and their success points to a possible path forward for the climate change fight in the face of growing political and corporate opposition.

State Coalitions in a Changing Political Climate

One thing is clear about the future of the politicization of climate change: deniers, dismissers and delayers are intent on convincing the public that climate change is not nearly as bad as it seems or, in the case of Trump's energy secretary pick, that it doesn’t exist at all. That’s dangerous for the future of both humanity and the environment as the world has already likely hurtled past the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit, and we end another year of global heat records.

Politicians around the globe, and here in the US, are working very hard to dismantle organizations, both public and private, and undermine science and facts that have long protected people and the environment from egregious corporate and political practices.

In the face of these escalating climate challenges and shifting political landscapes, coalitions have emerged as central players in the global effort to combat climate change and impact everyday people's lives. By pooling resources, expertise, and influence, these alliances can help implement large-scale environmental changes that could be unattainable for individual entities in the face of these political headwinds. These alliances, which can include states, nations, corporations, and advocacy groups, are crafting innovative strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable practices. At the same time, these initiatives can encounter significant resistance, highlighting the complex dynamics of climate action.

The Success of Coalitions in the Fight Against Climate Change

As politics changes how the public and corporations tackle and consider climate change, coalitions have a larger role to play. A recent success that could provide a template for others in the space looking to advance climate goals is the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or RGGI.

The RGGI is made up of eleven states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. These states came together in 2005 (nearly 20 years ago) to create a way to cap and reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector, and it was the first cap-and-invest regional initiative implemented in the United States. The group has been evaluating its efforts and looking at ways that it could continue to deliver a positive impact under the new challenges that the incoming Trump administration poses.

According to Energy News Network, “the RGGI sets a cap for total power plant carbon emissions among the member states. Individual generators must then buy allowances from the state, up to the total cap, for each ton of carbon dioxide they produce in a year. The cap lowers over time, forcing power plants to either reduce emissions or pay more to buy allowances from a shrinking pool. States then reinvest the proceeds from these auctions into programs that further reduce emissions and help energy customers, including energy efficiency initiatives, direct bill assistance, and renewable energy projects.”

The coalition has generated $8.3 billion since 2008 for the participating states and cut power generation emissions by approximately half, which is much faster than the rest of the country. The group has wide bipartisan support and survived the first Trump administration. The group has faced some political challenges and come out on top, too. Even though Virginia pulled out of the group in 2021 under a Republican governor, the organization challenged the withdrawal, and a court ruled that the governor did not have the authority to pull out just last month. The governor plans to appeal the decision.

As a result of its measured success, the RGGI is looking at ways to expand its membership and meet other states where they are, whether they have less aggressive goals or not.

As the Energy News Network points out, the partnership could provide a blueprint for fighting climate change in an increasingly fragmented and politicized environment, and the RGGI is not the only success story.

International climate clubs have popped up as a way to foster international cooperation on climate action outside of the usual governmental routes. These clubs are alliances of countries that are committed to implementing climate policies and encouraging others to join using incentives and shared benefits. The G7's Climate Club, which began in 2022, is a good example of a climate club that aligns economic and environmental benefits while overcoming the "freeloader" problem that emerges with many international agreements–where some nations get the benefits of the work of others without contributing.

The overall impact that the G7 Climate Club will have remains to be seen. It is still in its early days, and the group hasn’t yet figured out how to manage the challenges of attracting a broader audience and enforcing compliance.

It also can’t go without saying that just being a part of one of these coalitions or clubs is enough to fight climate change. Each state and nation has to have a strong internal commitment to ensure that the group's goals are both enforced and met, and that can be a challenge. At the same time, these groups could demonstrate what the future of climate action might look like and could provide a blueprint for a path forward in an increasingly hostile political environment.

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