What Next | Daily News and Analysis We're in an Oil Crisis. Will Renewables Save Us?
9 snips
Apr 1, 2026 
Catherine Rampell, economics editor at The Bulwark and MS NOW anchor, breaks down energy policy and economic fallout from the Iran war. She weighs whether shocks can accelerate renewables. She explains the EU carbon market and CBAM. She examines political backlash, lessons from France, and how China’s strategy contrasts with democracies.
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Conflict Produces Big Immediate Carbon Bursts
- War releases large, immediate carbon emissions that worsen climate change.
- The Climate and Community Institute estimates the first two weeks of the Iran war emitted 5 million tons of carbon, plus oil tanker and refinery fires sending toxic clouds across the region.
Renewables Need Time Not Just Price Signals
- Renewables are economically favorable long term but take time to deploy compared with fossil-fuel alternatives.
- Catherine Rampell notes wind and solar require building arrays and grid upgrades, while coal and gas plants already exist and can be switched on faster during short shocks.
U.S. Policy Cut Renewable Incentives
- U.S. policy under the second Trump administration rolled back incentives and permits for renewables.
- Rampell cites a cancelled U.S. wind farm (the government paid $1 billion not to build it) and repeal of clean energy tax credits from the Republican spending bill.