US voters have rejected data centres and AI. What happens now? |
American democracy seemed to burst back into life last week. After years of anti-science populism and unabashed greed, climate change seems likely to return to the political agenda. The outcome of the midterm elections should have a positive impact on US climate and energy policy, though it remains to be seen how much damage can be reversed.
During the first two years of Donald Trump’s second term, the US president and climate deniers in his administration launched an onslaught on environmental protections and climate mitigation. He cancelled Biden-era climate policies that promoted renewable energy and decarbonisation by opening up new areas of federal land for oil and gas extraction, and by partnering or supporting the fossil fuel industry in multiple ways – including for private gain.
In just two years, the Trump administration systematically dismantled or weakened key scientific institutions and even removed climate science information and data sets from government websites.
A 2025 report by two non-profit organisations into links between the US government and fossil fuel companies found 43 fossil fuel industry insiders among nominees and appointees to agencies charged with enforcing energy and environmental policy. Some of these deals are now likely to be investigated by a Democrat-controlled Congress.
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