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Ed Matthew

@edmatthew.bsky.social
475 followers 446 following 58 posts

UK Programme Director for independent climate change think tank E3G

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Ed Miliband to announce green investments from private sector over this Parliament will amount to £100 billion - clean energy can stabilise bills and is the growth engine of the economy.
theguardian.com
Ed Miliband to say UK must stick to net zero targets to deliver jobs and growth
Energy secretary expected to argue that UK clean economy is booming as private sector pledges over £100bn of investment
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Let’s hope Andy Burnham learns the lessons - the PM needs to charge into the energy debate with full confidence that clean energy is the foundation for the UK’s economic success and affordable energy bills and the first priority should be to remove levies on electricity bills to power up the country
theguardian.com
Starmer has a strong green record – but a rightwing backlash weakened his plans
Prime minister was forced to row back on some policies despite strong support among voters for climate action
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Guardian covers response from me and CSOs to the false claim by Tony Blair that abandoning net zero and drilling for every last drop in the North Sea would be good for the U.K. - it’s nonsense and driven by his links to the fossil fuel industry. Our fossil fuel dependence has caused economic mayhem
theguardian.com
Blair’s fossil fuel ideas ‘bizarre’ in face of energy and climate crises, experts say
Energy specialists say abandoning net zero and increasing oil and gas drilling would cause more instability for Britons
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
We are in midst of another fossil fuel crisis and need to accelerate electrification to strengthen energy and economic security. This decision by HMRC to appeal a court ruling that government should not be charging more than 5% VAT on EV charging only undermines that mission - No 10 needs to step in
theguardian.com
UK to appeal against tax ruling cutting VAT on public electric car chargers to 5%
HMRC confirms it will fight London tax tribunal’s finding that it has been overcharging for years under the law
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
As Iran war reminds us all the cost of fossil fuel dependence, news breaks that new electric cars are now cheaper to buy than new petrol cars for first time. They are already £1000 a year cheaper to run each year. EV demand is set to accelerate
plc.autotrader.co.uk
New electric cars now cheaper than petrol on average for the first time says Autotrader
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
14 years of new North Sea oil and gas licenses under Tory administrations under a maximum extraction policy led to one months supply of gas. It proves that new licenses will do nothing to strengthen our energy security. It is a fantasy peddled by the political wing of the fossil fuel barons
theguardian.com
Hundreds of North Sea licences granted by Conservatives have ‘so far produced only 36 days worth of gas’
Exclusive: Findings cast doubt on claims new drilling would help cut bills and boost energy security, researchers say
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Why have progressive voters deserted Labour? I’ve worked as a climate campaigner for 20 years and one clue to this question may be that since Labour came to power I’ve detected no change from Treasury on climate action - they are as backward as the Tories - perhaps scared of Reform. This must change
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Great thread from @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org ripping to pieces the shameless disinformation on the cost of net zero from oil and gas funded Tufton Street and covered without due scrutiny by the right wing media. It assumes funding and running a fossil fuel system is free - 100% bollocks
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Drivers of EVs can save on average over £1000 a year on fuel costs. Badenoch is not on the side of drivers. She is on the side of the fossil fuel companies. A faster transition to EVs will also help to keep our car manufacturers competitive
bbc.com
Kemi Badenoch: Tories to scrap petrol ban if they win next election
The Conservative Party leader says the policy is "destructive" and "economic self-harm".
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
ECO was failing but needed reform, not axing. The impact will be a cut of £5 billion to insulate fuel poor homes and loss of 10,000 jobs. Reeves cut winter fuel payments then u-turned; she then cut disability benefits then u-turned. Now she is slashing funding for the fuel poor. A Labour Chancellor
theguardian.com
Cuts to insulation scheme will leave homes cold over winter, experts say
E3G thinktank warns retrofit sector could shed 10,000 skilled jobs as small firms struggle to survive
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
I’m quoted in this article criticising Chancellor for axing ECO, the U.K. insulation scheme. The most recent version failed due to terrible design by former government, but it needed reform, not scrapping. The decision is a £5 billion cut to insulate homes of fuel poor and will cost 10,000 jobs
independent.co.uk
IFS responds to £150 cut to energy bills pledged in Rachel Reeves’ Budget
Some climate campaigners have criticised the move by Rachel Reeves to cut green levies
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
The real story here is Reeves trying to gut the warm homes plan. If she gets her way at Budget and the ECO green levy is axed, then green homes funding for insulation and electrification will be cut from £21bn to £13bn over 5 years - a 40% cut which will lead to more gas dependency and higher bills
theguardian.com
Hundreds of thousands to lose heat pump subsidies in Reeves’s budget plan
Exclusive: Supporters say grants largely going to middle-class households, but experts warn move will slow transition from gas boilers
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
What a great project to make the use of veteran skills - helping to accelerate the clean tech revolution. Extra poignant given clean energy is super essential to energy security and indeed national security
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
Guardian cover letter we helped coordinate to call on the Chancellor not to cut or axe the Energy Company Obligation at Budget. 67 civil society groups and major businesses say it would threaten fuel poverty and climate targets to remove UKs leading insulation programme. Thanks to all that signed
theguardian.com
Cutting home insulation funding will imperil UK’s climate goals, Reeves told
Energy firms and charities urge chancellor to avoid short-term fix that could also harm low-income households
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
The Treasury is at serious risk of killing off the transition to electric vehicles by bringing in a new pay per mile tax at Budget. Given the market is only just going mainstream, this move could torpedo progress. It’s bad timing which won’t help the U.K. EV industry or climate action
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
The Treasury is actively contemplating axing the UKs main insulation programme (ECO) to cut energy bills. Given how critical insulation is to ending fuel poverty and reducing energy bills, it would be completely self defeating and destroy the insulation industry as well. Mobilise. Now.
theguardian.com
Reeves considers cut to green levies in effort to reduce cost of energy bills
Exclusive: Chancellor hopes to save up to £170 from average bill but industry insiders say move would be ‘disastrous’
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
This catastrophic, record breaking hurricane was made 5 times more likely by climate change. The politicians and media figures arguing for slowing down the transition to carbon free energy are fuelling this destruction
bbc.co.uk
First deaths from Hurricane Melissa confirmed in Jamaica and Haiti
The hurricane - Jamaica's worst to date - was downgraded from a category five storm on Wednesday.
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
This is powerful research showing that the UK has saved over £100 Billion on our energy bills due to the roll out of wind power. That is the saving after accounting for green subsidies. This shreds false claims by Reform that renewables drives up energy bills. They are lying. The reverse is true
theguardian.com
Wind power has cut £104bn from UK energy costs since 2010, study finds
Reduction comes from energy generated from windfarms and lower cost of gas owing to lower demand
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Data from the real world shows that hybrid cars are little better than regular petrol and diesel cars when it comes to the fuel they consume, the CO2 they produce and the money they cost to run. The lesson here is that the industry (and consumers) should leap straight to full electric cars
theguardian.com
Plug-in hybrids pollute almost as much as petrol cars, report finds
Analysis of 800,000 European cars found real-world pollution from plug-in hybrids nearly five times greater than lab tests
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Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
Every day is a good day to point out that 92% of Reform's donations were found to come from figures and groups linked to the fossil fuel industry. @desmog.com
desmog.com
Nigel Farage’s Reform Party Has Accepted £2.3 Million from Fossil Fuel Interests, Climate Deniers, and Polluters Since 2019 Election
Reform UK has received more than £2.3 million from oil and gas interests, highly polluting industries, and climate science deniers since December 2019, amounting to 92 percent of the party’s donations...
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Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
China ≠ just coal plants and solar exports. The deeper shift: electrifying everything it can. Strategic, because China relies on imported fossil fuels. Coal is still king in the power mix—for now. But the balance is changing year by year.
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
This blog is my take on the Tory Party vow this week to axe the Climate Change Act. This is not leadership. It is surrender to the commercial interests of fossil fuel barons at the cost of us all.
e3g.org
Pledge to axe UK Climate Change Act backfires
The attempts to turn the British public against climate action does not only make no scientific or economic sense, it makes no political sense.
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
My take on the decision by Kemi Badenoch to end the fight against the climate crisis and torpedo the U.K. economy and a great critique by @fionaharvey.bsky.social of the falsehoods set out in the Tory press release. This action by Badenoch is utterly shameful.
theguardian.com
As Tories vow to scrap ‘failed targets’, how do their climate claims stack up?
We fact check Kemi Badenoch and her party after she promised to repeal Climate Change Act if they win power
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Kemi Badenoch has now aligned the Tory party on climate with Trump and the far right parties of Europe. Tragic. It shows that she is more interested in the profits of oil and gas companies than the security of the country. The Tory party can no longer be trusted on the environment or the economy
theguardian.com
Kemi Badenoch vows to repeal Climate Change Act
Tory leader says she would replace it with ‘cheap energy’ strategy, ending decades-long consensus on climate
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Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
There’s a persistent myth that new solar farms don’t really help tackle climate change because panels are “made with coal” and “never pay back” their carbon debt. This is simply false. - UN: solar ~8x cleaner than gas, ~19x than coal per kWh - panels repay CO2 in 4 months; save 57x over life
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
And here is the graphic showing the potential for heat pumps to cost half as much to run as a gas boiler WITH policy reforms - full report is here : www.e3g.org/publications...
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
www.theguardian.com/environment/... - our latest E3G report showing that with policy reform, running a heat pump could be half the price of running a gas boiler. The future is electric !
theguardian.com
Heat pumps could halve heating bills with energy system reform, study finds
Steps to make electricity cheaper, such as ending levies, could transform prospects for pumps, thinktank shows
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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 01/07/2025
Ofgem just approved a record £24bn investment in gas & electric grids to 2031, making bills "£30 lower" than they would have been Predictably, some usual-suspect media have mangled the reporting. So here's a Really Simple guide to counterfactuals, with Bluey refs:
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Labour warned to keep spending review in line with net zero or face legal action
Exclusive: Friends of the Earth tells Keir Starmer any major green cuts by Rachel Reeves will be challenged
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
The Tony Blair Institute should issue a public apology for putting out a climate ‘solutions’ report that has been so easily weaponised by those seeking to delay climate action. This was a gross misjudgement and it should have been properly vetted before publication - what a mess
theguardian.com
Climate experts and politicians round on Tony Blair for ‘wrong message’
Former Labour PM accused of ‘handing talking points’ to Tories and Reform after saying net zero strategy faltering
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
This is one of the worst reports I’ve seen to date on the energy transition. It is divisive and inaccurate. In the U.K. people have not lost faith in climate action. The issue is just being weaponised by Farage and Badenoch because it is part of their culture war strategy to gain power #climate
bbc.com
Tony Blair says current net zero push 'doomed to fail'
The former PM's call for a change of course is rejected by Downing Street but welcomed by the Tories and Reform.
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
See below my article in Environmental Politics on ‘reasons to be cheerful’ despite the massive challenges we face on climate action. When you get past the politics, there are economic meta trends that make the shift to clean energy unstoppable. Happy reading
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Latest gov 2024 figures show U.K. greenhouse gas emissions have fallen 54% (since 1990) and renewables made up over 50% of our electricity supply for first time. But gas is still driving up energy bills. We need to GET OFF GAS as soon as possible to bring down energy bills and boost our security
news.sky.com
UK greenhouse gases fall again - as renewable electricity hits 50% for the first time
Greenpeace says it shows "the UK's efforts to tackle climate change are working" but the country is "still very much dependent on expensive and polluting gas".
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E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism @e3g.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
🚨 In Today’s spring statement, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has left a “huge open goal” by neglecting the clean economy as the primary driver for growth in the UK. Meanwhile, devastating cuts to overseas development aid undermine UK security. Read our rapid reaction👇🧵
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Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Solar is quickly becoming the cheapest source of electricity & will fundamentally change the energy system. This paper argues that solar will be cheapest source of electricity around the world. Surprisingly this is AFTER including short- & long-term storage costs. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Reposted by Ed Matthew
E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism @e3g.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
"By abandoning net-zero by 2050, Badenoch has sold out the interests of the British people to the fossil fuel industry." - @edmatthew.bsky.social in @desmog.bsky.social The CCC recently said targeting net-zero would help cut household costs by £1,400 a year by 2050. www.desmog.com/2025/03/18/k...
desmog.com
Kemi Badenoch Made Anti-Net Zero Speech at Shell Ad Agency
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch today ditched her party’s commitment to the UK’s flagship climate target in a speech hosted by an advertising group that works for Shell, DeSmog can reveal. During he...
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E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism @e3g.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
📢 UK heat pump installations hit a record high! A key driver? Boosting the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. But high costs still block many. E3G’s @edmatthew.bsky.social says the govt must recommit in June’s spending review & expand support for low-income households. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK homes install subsidised heat pumps at record level
Government-backed heat pump installations in the UK reached record levels for 2024.
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Dogs prefer electric cars. Surely that is now the death knell for the fossil fuel car!
dailystar.co.uk
Electric VS Petrol: which car does your dog find more comfortable?
An experiment carried out by This Morning's resident vet, Dr Scott Miller, found dogs are 'more relaxed' when travelling in an EV in comparison to fuel powered cars
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Heat pump market surges in 2024. I’m quoted calling for extension of heat pump grants and for government to remove some levies off electricity bills to really make the heat pump market fly.
bbc.co.uk
UK homes install subsidised heat pumps at record level
Government-backed heat pump installations in the UK reached record levels for 2024.
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Luke Tryl @luketryl.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Over the weekend we asked the British public to describe in a word how they felt about the Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting. The answers somewhat speak for themselves.
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
The startling finding from the CCC’s advice on the 7th Carbon Budget is the scale of savings households can make by 2050 - on average a £700 cut in energy bills and another £700 cut in driving fuel bills a year. This means anyone arguing against net zero is in effect calling for high energy bills
theguardian.com
UK urged to act now on net zero – and skip two kebabs’ worth of meat a week
Climate Change Committee issues advice to government on meeting carbon emissions target by 2050
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Defence spending may well need to increase in face of Russian threats and American isolationism but there are better ways to pay for it - especially taxes on oil & gas companies, who have made obscene profits over last few years. Cutting aid spending is devastating.
theguardian.com
Starmer announces big cut to UK aid budget to boost defence spending
PM confirms rise in military spending to at least 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
The net-zero economy grew 10% in 2024. Green=Growth. The line I love from this article is that Tory & Reform parties did not respond to request for comment 🤦‍♂️ - in their pursuit or culture wars, Badenoch & Farage are undermining economic growth and would condemn U.K. to dependence on high cost gas
theguardian.com
Britain’s net zero economy is booming, CBI says
Green sector growing at triple the rate of the UK economy, providing high-wage jobs and increasing energy security
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Drax subsidies extended but cut in half - my quote on Drax in Guardian: “its legacy is high emissions and forest destruction … its days are numbered”
theguardian.com
‘It’s a temporary lifeline’: Drax decision is latest test of Labour’s green credentials
Mixed reaction from campaigners as ministers impose reduced subsidies and stringent conditions on Yorkshire wood-burning plant
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
Trump is a big fan of freedom of speech, unless of course it involves educating the public about the biggest existential threat to humanity - then he acts to remove all trace of it
theguardian.com
Scientists brace ‘for the worst’ as Trump purges climate mentions from websites
Trump administration pulling references online ‘won’t make crisis’ stop affecting Americans’ lives, say experts
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Megan Corton Scott @mcortonscott.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
Concerning article from the Sun on Sunday today on Rosebank, where the writer and Labour sources quoted clearly don’t quite grasp the economics of the oil and gas industry... maybe this thread can help 👇 archive.ph/Veh5p
archive.ph
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Big news as Rosebank oilfield ruled illegal because the original decision did not take account of the climate impact of burning the oil. It is a total scandal these fields were approved without taking this into account. Gov must move fast to end all new oil and gas fields to stop climate breakdown
theguardian.com
Rosebank oilfield decision ruled unlawful by Edinburgh court
Court of session says UK government go-ahead for Rosebank and Jackdaw permits does not take into account carbon emissions
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
The catastrophic Los Angeles fires were made 35% more likely as a result of climate change. How bad does it need to get before the Republican Party acts to defend the people?
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Great report from @julietphillips.bsky.social and Beyond Fossil Fuels on cost of gas dependence and the need for new policies to create green energy back up and stop gas companies from profiteering during this transition
theguardian.com
UK has spent £12.5bn from energy bills on fossil fuel power plants in past decade
Research finds 60% of government contracts through backup ‘capacity market’ went to fossil fuel plants
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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
China is already leading the world on clean tech investment. How do you think they feel about Trump’s climate roll back?
bloomberg.com
Trump’s Week One Ends With a Heap of Climate Rollbacks
The new president issued a barrage of orders seeking to boost fossil fuels and reverse policies that address global warming.
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