US climate leader calls Trump's threatened IRA rollbacks 'a fool's errand'

Former Biden White House National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy on Friday called any attempt to roll back Inflation Reduction Act funds by the incoming Trump administration a "fool's errand" during a call with U.S. climate leaders on their continued goals for climate progress.

"We'll do everything in our power to stop efforts to unwind the progress we have made, to double down on local action, and to push private sector investments and to fill the federal leadership gap so that we can achieve our country's global commitments," McCarthy, now managing co-chair of the U.S climate coalition America is All In, said. "All of us stand ready to work with Democrats and Republicans to protect the Inflation Reduction Act and keep our federal agencies active, safe and secure."

Representatives from America is All In, U.S. Climate Alliance and Climate Mayors were all on the call, discussing with reporters how they plan to "continue protecting and building on climate progress despite the incoming Trump administration."

McCarthy explained that billions of dollars in public and private investments in clean energy, including through the Inflation Reduction Act, have greatly benefitted Republican-led districts.

"Federal policies have led to $910 billion in public and private sector investments all across the country, as plants are being built to produce batteries, to help clean up our heavy industries and deliver more clean renewable power than ever before -- not to mention more than 330,000 good paying jobs created," McCarthy said. "And the bulk of these investments in job growth can be found in Republican districts. Look that's why congressional members have been running to ribbon-cuttings. It's absolutely undeniable that clean energy is good for businesses, local economies and all Americans. That's what is telling me that any attempt to roll back the IRA is simply a fool's errand."

President-elect Donald Trump said in September that he would "rescind all unspent funds under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act," during remarks at the Economic Club of New York.

He spoke frequently on the campaign trail about rolling back environmental regulations and clean energy investments implemented during the Biden administration.

Even before Trump was projected to win the 2024 presidential race earlier this week, climate and environmental groups have been sounding the alarm over the potential climate impacts of a second Trump administration.

On Wednesday, hours after ABC News projected Trump's win, organizations including the National Resources Defense Council, World Resources Institute, Sunrise Movement, the Center for Biological Diversity, and others put out statements about their concerns around the incoming administration and reaffirming their dedication to pursuing climate progress.

"There is no denying that another Trump presidency will stall national efforts to tackle the climate crisis and protect the environment, but most U.S. state, local, and private sector leaders are committed to charging ahead," Dan Lashof, U.S. Director of World Resources Institute, said Wednesday. "And you can count on a chorus of world leaders confirming that they won't turn their back on climate and nature goals."

Earlier Friday, during the climate leaders' call, Govs. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, and Jay Inslee of Washington, echoed the sentiment that state and local governments would lead the charge on climate goals like increased development of clean energy and striving to meet emissions reductions benchmarks set out in the Paris Agreement.

"We know we have a responsibility to continue to address the climate crisis and to engage in every way possible, and to remind not just everyone in the United States, but frankly globally, that governors act as sub-nationals, irrespective of what the agenda is by leadership in the White House," Lujan Grisham said. "We've been in this position before. We are going to continue our commitments."

Lujan Grisham and Inslee are both members of the U.S. Climate Alliance, which calls itself "a bipartisan coalition of 24 governors securing America's net-zero future by advancing state-led, high-impact climate action."

Inslee said that in his home state of Washington, "We look at Donald Trump as a speed bump on the road to progress towards a clean energy economy, and we are rolling big time."

"My number one message is progress is going to continue in the United States," he said. "It will be driven by states who have already demonstrated that if you adopt clean energy policies, you will simultaneously grow your economy and reduce carbon emissions."