PS: this “Quiet Revolution” is irreversible.

One year ago today, the U.S. walked away from the world.

We exited the Paris Agreement for the second time. We withdrew from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. We left the IPCC.

America First? We joined Iran, Libya, and Yemen as the only countries standing outside the global climate framework. And our utility bills went UP 6.7%.

“Great Reversal”

I was at Davos in January 2025 for Planetary Health Boundaries. Everyone was met with frigid nervous glances and you could feel the demoralization in every earth guardian – as we awaited ‘the animal spirit of American business’ to unfurl. One year later, you can see, that’s when the “Zero Index” began.

Within 48 hours of taking office, Trump didn’t just lean away from climate—he gutted the system entirely.

From Washington DC, it’s been a helluva year. DC was busy breaking things, including 30 years of global cooperation, while the rest of the world was busy making new alliances.

The 300-Action Wrecking Ball:

→ Paused wind projects already under construction
→ Issued edicts to keep failing coal plants online illegally
→ Canceled $9.5 billion in global climate funding (0.1% of the budget)
→ Forced expensive, dying coal onto our grid while exporting cheap gas as LNG

They said this would lower your bills.

The data says we paid $124 more last year.

hey Republicans, that “Energy Dominance” turned out to be an energy tax on American families.

What Leadership Vacuum—

Here’s the fallout you didn’t predict: By walking away, we didn’t stop the transition. We just handed the keys to others and got left behind the continued momentum.

While we were “drill-baby-drilling”:
→ China hit 50% EV market share
→ Europe made solar the #1 power source for the first time in history
→ The EU agreed to legally binding 90% emissions cuts by 2040

The “New Alliance” is now Brussels and Beijing.

They’re setting the standards for the 21st-century economy. While the U.S. is becoming a global pariah—the “Old Economy” island in a “New Economy” world.

We aren’t at the table anymore. Which means we’re on the menu.

Here’s The Paradox:

Despite every executive order, the market is still moving.

→ U.S. renewable generation hit 26% this year
→ California solar surpassed natural gas as primary electricity source
→ Texas grid survived 2025 heatwaves because of the very batteries the administration is trying to scrap

Why? Because you can’t executive-order physics.

You can’t make a solar panel more expensive than a coal railcar through policy alone.

The reversal was dominant at the top. But at ground level, the “Quiet Revolution” is irreversible.

The ESG Underground Verdict:

One year in, the damage is unprecedented:
→ Our water is less safe
→ Our science is being dismantled
→ Our global standing is at an all-time low
→ Our families are paying more for energy

But the underground is where the work goes on.

Corporate leaders who cowered in Davos 2025 are realizing that “America First” might mean “America Last” in the race for clean tech leadership.

The climate didn’t collapse. American leadership did.

And if you’re a business leader making long-term strategic decisions based on short-term political theater, you’re pricing risk wrong.

The global market moved on without us. The question is: Will your company?

Of course it will.

We Zig and We Zag.

BONUS: Prophecy….US business will continue to quietly participate in the renewable transition. Once new leadership is installed, a macro and micro economic American rebound will ensue, reentering into the global market with collaborative abandon – igniting the actual animal spirits of prosperity and ingenuity – driven by competitive advantage consumer demand and ecological survival.

KJS DC 1.26

ESG UNDERGROUND

We will be tracking:
→ Companies that stayed in the “New Alliance”
→ Companies that surrendered to political pressure
→ The actual market reality beneath the propaganda

#ESG #ClimateAction #BusinessStrategy #GlobalLeadership #EnergyPolicy #RiskManagement #CorporateGovernance #RenewableEnergy #China #EU #MarketLeadership #StrategicPlanning