After all the debates, speeches, ads, and promises, the 2024 U.S. election is finally over.
Everyone’s been talking about immigration, the economy, reproductive rights, and national security.
However, one major topic seemed to disappear during the election season: climate change.
Even with all the wild hurricanes, terrible floods, and record-breaking temperatures, climate policies got much less attention than other issues.
It’s odd because, in 2020, climate change was a huge issue that felt impossible to ignore.
Back then, people were fired up about protecting the environment and pushing for big, green changes.
But in 2024, it seems everyone hit the snooze button on climate.
Instead of climate action, candidates focused on bread-and-butter issues: inflation, foreign policy, immigration.
It’s not that they ignored the environment entirely, but climate change definitely got pushed down the priority list.
So, what happened to all those climate promises?
Pew Research data shows that climate change ranked low on the list of voter priorities this time around.
Only 37% of voters said it was “very important” to them.
But these numbers aren’t solely statistics—each percentage point reflects real people, families, and communities facing devastating natural disasters, from hurricane-ravaged towns to flood areas.
Yet, candidates and the media barely mentioned climate change.
Now, let’s look at the candidates themselves.
Both had very different views on climate change, but neither offered clear plans.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about green jobs and praised young climate activists, especially when talking to younger voters, but her campaign wasn’t exactly full of new ideas.
She pointed to her role in passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which is supposed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
Still, she mainly leaned on her track record instead of offering fresh ideas for the future.
She even reassured voters in Pennsylvania that she wouldn’t interfere with fracking while also mentioning a move toward clean energy.
On the other hand, there was Donald Trump, who flat-out called climate change “one of the biggest scams of all time.”
He made it clear that he planned to get rid of current regulations and increase fossil fuel drilling.
His campaign was largely about “energy independence,” meaning more oil, drilling, and emissions.
It was evident that if he got elected, any recent green progress would probably come to a standstill or even go backward.
When it came to the voters, views on climate were sharply divided along party lines.
For Harris supporters, climate was still important, with around 62% saying it was a big factor in their vote.
For Trump supporters, though, it barely mattered; only 11% said it was important to them in the voting booth.
Young people, though, saw things differently.
Youth-led groups like the Sunrise Movement clarified that the younger generation still sees climate change as a top priority.
One of their organizers, Noah Foley-Beining, even called out Harris for missing a chance to inspire young voters by not pushing a stronger climate plan.
For many young voters, climate change is their future on the line.
Interestingly, this divide over climate isn’t just happening in the U.S.; it’s playing out worldwide.
From Indonesia to South Africa to Mexico, climate change is part of global election discussions—even if, like in the U.S., other immediate issues tend to take center stage.
Take Indonesia, for example.
Their new president, Prabowo Subianto, promised to gradually phase out coal.
But as the world’s biggest coal exporter, Indonesia faces a tough road, especially as it aims to be a leader in nickel production—a mineral essential for electric batteries.
It’s a balancing act between economic growth and environmental duty, something countries everywhere can relate to.
In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa is tackling climate change directly, facing real impacts like severe droughts and flash floods.
His government joined the Just Energy Transition Partnership, an international agreement to support the shift from coal to renewable energy.
However, as they try to move away from coal, their dependency on it remains, showing how difficult it is for countries to completely shift their energy sources.
Closer to the U.S., Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, also faces the challenge of balancing green goals with current energy policies.
She’s an environmental engineer with big plans to expand renewable energy like solar and wind, yet she still supports fossil fuel projects like the Olmeca oil refinery.
Her challenge will be to stick to her green promises while handling political pressure from those who prefer the old ways.
In Europe, there’s another twist.
The recent European Parliament elections showed big gains for right-wing parties, often framing climate policies as threats to their economies and independence.
In countries like Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) gained ground, the opposition to climate policies has gotten louder.
Many voters, tired of rising costs, feel that green plans could make things even harder financially.
The EU’s ambitious Green Deal, which aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, now faces growing resistance.
It’s a reminder that even in places with strong green policies, public support can weaken when people feel the economic strain.
And then there’s the U.K., where Labour’s landslide win promises big changes on the climate front.
Labor leader Keir Starmer wants the U.K. to become a “clean energy superpower” and focus on renewable energy to lower costs and boost independence.
However, it is not without its challenges.
Due to economic concerns, Labour recently had to lower its green investment promise from 28 billion pounds a year.
Even so, they’re moving forward with plans to expand low-carbon industries and hope to make Britain a leader in green energy.
With all this in mind, the question remains: will the U.S. get back on track with climate action after the 2024 election?
As the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, the U.S. has a huge impact on global climate policy.
If America slows down on its climate commitments, other countries might follow suit or at least find it tougher to push ambitious climate goals without U.S. support.
Around the world, countries like South Africa, Mexico, and India are trying to push forward on climate issues.
In India, for example, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has set big renewable energy goals but still relies on coal to meet growing energy needs.
His government’s plans for decarbonizing India by 2070 require international partnerships and investments, particularly with the United States, to achieve meaningful progress.
Meanwhile, places like France and parts of the European Union are finding their green policies facing pushback from far-right groups that see environmental efforts as too costly or restrictive.
Ultimately, we’re left wondering if the campaign promises made around climate this election season will turn into real action.
The world is feeling the effects of climate change more than ever, from extreme heat waves to devastating storms, and it’s clear that action is needed now.
As leaders settle into their newly won positions, the stakes for actual climate policies couldn’t be higher.
Whether they choose to step up or let this moment slip away will shape not only their legacy but the future of our planet.