Team USA celebrated the most medals of the 2024 Olympic Games with a final tally of 126 medals, over 30 medals more than the next country. The race for gold medals was much closer, though, with both the United States and China tied at 40 apiece. Ultimately, with a higher silver medal count, Team USA was declared victorious.
The same can’t be said for the clean energy arms race.
China dominates global energy markets, from record construction of coal-fired power plants around the world to speedy permitting of nuclear energy projects. China accounts for the top 10 suppliers of solar panels in the world. This isn’t to mention China’s dominance in critical mineral markets, from mining raw materials to processing them for use.
This energy leadership clearly isn’t out of the goodness of the Chinese Communist Party’s heart. The CCP is investing in what’s profitable and throwing all its resources toward dominating global markets to increase its influence and wealth.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., we’re stuck in our own way. Despite an expected $2 trillion global investment in clean energy in the coming years, it’s nearly impossible to build new energy projects in America, whether they’re clean or not. Experts have lamented our onerous federal permitting process for years, and some mainstream environmental groups routinely take advantage of this process to delay projects, from active forest management to solar farms to carbon capture pipelines.
The U.S. just completed its first two new nuclear reactors in more than three decades — a win, to be sure, but a bittersweet one. The current permitting process and bureaucratic labyrinth have bankrupted innovative nuclear projects and put us more than a decade behind China’s nuclear trajectory.
Solar power, too, represents a missed opportunity for the U.S. to lead on clean energy technologies. While the U.S. hesitated to embrace solar energy, China not only embraced solar technology but wormed its way into dominating each element of the supply chain. Now the country controls more than 80% of solar panel production.
We know that the U.S. can produce energy better with fewer emissions than the likes of China. In fact, Chinese mining is twice as emissions-intensive as American mining. American liquefied natural gas exports to Europe are up to 40% cleaner than their Russian counterparts. We have all the tools to be a leader in clean energy; we just have to use them.
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The past few weeks during the 2024 Paris Olympics have shown a fervent patriotism and national unity that we rarely see in this country. We must harness this passion and use it to promote a pro-America clean energy agenda. This means unleashing clean, reliable nuclear energy; slashing the red tape preventing building; and homing in on American energy dominance.
Just as the athletes of Team USA pushed themselves to their physical limits to dominate the Olympics, we must fight to promote a pro-America clean energy agenda on the world stage. Losing the clean energy arms race is not an option.
Danielle Butcher Franz is the CEO of the American Conservation Coalition. Follow her on X @DanielleBFranz.