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Assaad Razzouk: "It’s pretty good news that the United States is withdrawing from Paris"
Assaad Razzouk speaks to We Don't Have Time during Climate Week NYC, 2023.
Assaad Razzouk is not a man to mince words.
“You can safely ignore [the U.S.] withdrawing from the Paris Agreement,” he says in episode 89 of his podcast, The Angry Clean Energy Guy. “As a matter of fact, I would go one step further: it’s pretty good news that the United States is withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, and you do not need to worry about it.”
You can hardly expect less from the author of Saving the Planet without the Bullshit. When he’s not busy developing clean energy projects across Asia as the CEO of Gurīn Energy or serving on the board of a half dozen charitable organizations, Assaad is upending intuitions as one of the most original and distinct voices in the climate movement. His rapid-fire analysis and red-hot takes have earned him a large and loyal following on X and LinkedIn. Particularly popular is his weekly “Good Climate News” roundup, an ongoing thread he’s maintained for over five years, including one year on We Don’t Have Time.
We caught up with Assaad to mark a year of sharing the good climate news and hear what he has to say about recent developments in climate.
You are the “Good Climate News Guy” but also the “Angry Clean Energy Guy.” Are you more angry or upbeat about the climate these days?
You have to have both personalities. You have to be angry, but you also have to celebrate progress. If you’re only angry, you’re going to get burnt out. Climate takes a mental toll on people if they focus on the facts of climate science alone. You have to focus on the facts, you have to get angry, but then you have to do something about it. Nothing motivates taking action like feeling you are part of making progress.
One thing about the Good News thread that I’ve been doing for so long now: It’s got a second part that says, “Climate anxiety is real, widespread and intensifying.” This thread aggregates good climate news. Any time you are feeling anxious, you can click on the thread and realize that there’s a lot going on, notwithstanding the tragedy of climate impacts.
Last year saw some discouraging developments. Trump was reelected, many were disappointed by COP29, etc. What is your view of these setbacks?
We should not be concerned about the US exiting Paris, nor about the executive orders. The Paris Agreement is entirely voluntary. Countries decide what limitations to set on their own emissions and, when they don't meet those goals, nothing happens. The US withdrawal means nothing for emissions, nothing for electrification, nothing for decarbonization, and it doesn't change the fact that we already have everything we need and we know what to do. COP has become an excuse to drag things out instead of applying solutions. I discuss all of this in my podcast.
What climate solutions that have yet to see widespread implementation are you most excited about?
It’s not like I’m excited about some new technology. We already have everything we need. We just need it to roll out faster. The momentum for the energy transition as well as decarbonization is unstoppable. Mostly on the back of solar, wind, and batteries becoming so cheap and ubiquitous.
You only need two levers. One is to get to 100% renewables as fast as we can. And, two, we need to reverse deforestation. Of course, there’s a lot of other stuff, but I would rank it lower. On the first one, it’s already happening. It needs to go faster, but there’s a lot happening. There’s a lot more we need to do about deforestation. As I say in my book, this mostly has to do with enforcing existing regulations.
Many people have said that the next few years will be decisive for the future of the climate. What do you think is going to happen that might surprise people?
I think the rollout of renewables is going to surprise on the upside. I think electrification is going to surprise on the upside. I think warming and climate disasters, unfortunately, will also surprise on the upside. But I think that the impact of those last two things is going to reinvigorate action on the first two things. It’s not difficult to imagine what it’s going to be like over the next decade. We’re going to see a world dealing more and more with extreme climate impacts, but at the same time driving efforts into solutions.
Thank you for talking with us.
Below, you’ll find Assaad’s latest list of climate progress—proof that change is happening. Follow him for your weekly dose of climate hope!
Good climate news this week
- 💚 Wind, solar and battery storage costs to fall again globally in 2025, by 2% to 11%
- 💚 UK January sales of EVs rose to 41% of market
- 💚 US quarterly EV sales reach new heights
- 💚 Investors with $6.8 trillion warn EU not to scale back bloc's ESG regulations
- 💚 Spain and France becomes 1st two countries in Europe to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty
- 💚 Indian budget offers boost to domestic PV cells, EVs, batteries, wind turbines
- 💚 China added 1m hectares of wetlands since 2012, with 2,200 wetland nature reserves established nationwide
- 💚 UK takes legal advice over pulling out of $20b Total LNG project in Mozambique
- 💚 Chinese and Swedish researchers develop high-yield eco-rice variety that emits 70% less methane than normal rice, with no GMO
- 💚 Norwegian oil giant Equinor drops its hypocrisy, shows it's always been Big Oil through and through
- 💚 Colombia’s president orders national oil company to cancel US venture over environmental concern
Climate anxiety is real, widespread and intensifying. This 5+ years weekly thread aggregates good climate news and shows that climate action is widespread and has momentum. Keep on clicking for a big dose of good climate news! Follow Assaad Razzouk positive lists of climate news on We Don' Have Time here.
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4 w
I do love to read your good news thread. It motivates and encourage many.
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4 w
I deeply agree with him
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4 w
This is insightful and I agree with Assaad Razzouk , we should try and fit the gaps that are being made by the withdrawing, this should give hope and determination, "when you are hit and fall wake up dust yourself and move forward" you will have more ideas to go on. There is always a way out. Climate change is personal.