event

Climate Clarity: Combatting New Denialism in the United States

Wed. October 1st, 2025
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Live Online

Since the start of the second Trump administration, the United States has cancelled much of its policy support for clean energy and withdrawn from international cooperation to address the climate crisis, leaving the climate community shellshocked. The narrative has shifted too, with opponents of the clean energy transition embracing what is best described as a "New Climate Denialism," rooted in the idea that decarbonization is unrealistic and expensive, and that the U.S. can safely double down on fossil fuels while adapting to climate hazards.  

The Carnegie Endowment’s Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program proposes a different framework—Climate Clarity. It calls for the United States to join the real, ongoing global energy transition out of its own self-interest, and for policymakers to link climate action to Americans' desires for better health and lower prices. It also encourages policy makers to take an honest, dispassionate look at climate risks and how to prepare for them. 

Join Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, Milo McBride, and Noah Gordon, co-authors of the new paper, “Climate Clarity: On the Future of Climate Action in the United States,” for a discussion on new denialists and climate clarity with Dr. Gretchen Goldman, Catherine Fraser, Jeremy Wallace, Patrick Bigger, Ted Fertik, and Ben Beachy.

A reception will follow. 

Agenda

3:30 PM - 3:35 PM Introduction and Welcome Remarks

  • Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, Senior Fellow and Director, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

3:35 PM - 4:15 PM The Global Energy Transition and the Role of the United States

  • Milo McBride, Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • Jeremy Wallace, A. Doak Barnett Professor of China Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS
  • Catherine Fraser, Climate Program Manager, Data for Progress
  • Noah Gordon, Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (moderator)

4:20 PM - 5:00 PM Climate Risk and A New Coalition for Climate Action

  • Dr. Gretchen Goldman, President and CEO, Union of Concerned Scientists
  • Ben Beachy, Senior Fellow, Global Fund for a New Economy
  • Patrick Bigger, Research Director, Climate and Community Institute (CCI)
  • Ted Fertik, Vice President for Manufacturing and Industrial Policy, Bluegreen Alliance
  • Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, Senior Fellow and Director, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (moderator)
Climate ChangeEnergy
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers
Noah Gordon ​​​​

Noah Gordon

Fellow, Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program and Fellow, Europe Program

Noah J. Gordon is a fellow in the Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC.

Leonardo Martinez-Diaz

Senior Fellow and Director, Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program

Leonardo Martinez-Diaz is senior fellow and director of the Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His fields of expertise include climate politics and diplomacy, climate finance, and mitigating and managing the risks of climate change to economies and communities.

Milo McBride

Fellow, Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program

Milo McBride is a fellow in the Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC.

Jeremy Wallace

A. Doak Barnett Professor of China Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS

Jeremy Wallace is the A. Doak Barnett Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS. His research and writing focuses on Chinese political economy, especially climate, cities, and statistics.

Gretchen Goldman

President and CEO, Union of Concerned Scientists

Dr. Gretchen Goldman is president and CEO of the Union of Concerned Scientists and previously served in White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as the assistant director for environmental science, engineering, policy, and justice; and at the U.S. Department of Transportation as the climate change research and technology director.

Catherine Fraser

Climate Program Manager, Data for Progress

Catherine Fraser is the climate program manager at Data for Progress. She works to advance progressive climate solutions, carbon removal, and energy policy, with a focus on climate and economic justice.

Patrick Bigger

Research Director, Climate and Community Institute (CCI)

Patrick Bigger directs CCI’s Research Department as well as leading research on CCI’s Global Systems and Policy work, including writing on Green Industrial Policy, the role of the Pentagon in the climate crisis, and the international political economy of biodiversity loss. 

Ben Beachy

Senior Fellow, Global Fund for a New Economy

Ben Beachy served in the White House Climate Policy Office until January 2025 as Special Assistant to the President for climate, industry, and community investment. He worked to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s industrial strategy for the clean economy, including trade, investment, and procurement policies that foster deep emissions cuts, good union jobs, and investments in hard-hit communities. 

Ted Fertik

Vice President for Manufacturing and Industrial Policy, Bluegreen Alliance

Ted Fertik is Vice President for Manufacturing and Industrial Policy at the Bluegreen Alliance, where he leads the organization’s strategy, team management, policy development, and advocacy on clean technology manufacturing and industrial transformation, including overseeing work on industrial investment programs, procurement, and trade policy.