We Ain’t Planned For It

“A president who derides wind turbines as cancer-causing, stalls the nation’s first offshore wind permit and denies the urgency of climate change would surely become the industry’s greatest obstacle. Yet markets sometimes focus on the headline without understanding the underlying story. This may prove to be one of those moments … Public policy still matters. Elections matter. Regulations matter. Leadership matters. But there comes a point when economics exerts a force that politics can only slow, not reverse.” How Trump Unwittingly Boosted Green Energy.

+ That doesn’t mean that years of terrible leadership haven’t cost America a hell of a lot when it comes to the green economy. WaPo (Gift Article): I went to Mexico to test-drive the cars Americans can’t buy. “Chinese branded vehicles have gone from less than 1 percent to 15 percent market share in five years, as well as about 90 percent of all EVs. That’s fast eroding America’s market in its backyard, as well as abroad, where the U.S. has seen its share fall or stagnate in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Even at home, the Big Three now command less than 40 percent of the auto market, down from 92 percent in 1965.” (It sure looks like Tony Manero’s hardware store boss in Saturday Night Fever got it right when he explained, “You can’t f-ck the future. The future f-ucks you! It catches up with you and it f-cks you if you ain’t planned for it.”)