On July 3, 1985, the movie Back To The Future was released and became the surprise Hollywood box office hit of the summer. It featured Biff Tannen, a small town bully, and his gang of juvenile delinquent pals who liked nothing better than riding around town in Biff’s convertible and forcing people to do whatever they told them to do. Today, we have a similar gang of simpleminded thugs, led by the so-called president of the United States, who are doing much the same thing to America, except for them, the theme is going back to the past.
The MAGA gang is now busy bullying members of Congress into supporting a piece of legislation that will tear up any and all clean energy and clean transportation policies currently in effect. How this will make America great is a mystery, since the rest of the world is embracing solar power and low emissions transportation. Far from making America great, the course set by the modern day Biff and his gang will make America the laughing stock of the world. It is destined to wallow in the fossil fuel doldrums while the rest of the world embraces a low carbon future.
“The United States needs to decide if they want an auto industry that can compete globally. It’s just clear that’s the way the world is moving,” Greg Dotson, of the University of Oregon School of Law told the New York Times this week. Dotson is a former Democratic chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Today, one in five new cars sold in the world is electric, and the percentage is increasing. US automakers are losing market share in Asia, Europe, and Latin America, where many customers are choosing electric cars from Chinese manufacturers which offer a wide array of affordable electric and hybrid vehicles. Industry analysts say sales of cars from US car companies in the rest of the world could drop precipitously in the near future because of the misalignment between the models they offer and the models customers in those countries want to buy.
Revoking the incentives that encourage the manufacture and sale of electric cars will endanger the $200 billion that auto companies, battery makers, mining companies, and others have invested to create a US electric vehicle supply chain not is not dependent on China, according to Jay Turner, a professor of environmental studies at Wellesley College. “The government doesn’t seem to be interested in the competitiveness of the auto industry,” said Jody Freeman, director of the Environmental and Energy Law Program at Harvard Law School. “Who’s going to buy our cars?”
America Can’t Win If It Doesn’t Compete
King Canute commands the tide not to rise. Public domain, 1885.
In a few years, “political leaders in the United States may find it difficult to explain to consumers why they cannot buy cheap, capable electric vehicles that are available in other countries,” the New York Times says. At the present time, the failed administration, building on tariffs against Chinese made cars begun by the Biden administration, makes it virtually impossible for Chinese companies to sell their cars in the US. Around the palatial executive offices at CleanTechnica global headquarters, we see this as a modern day reprise of King Canute commanding the tide not to rise.
Jack Ewing of the New York Times says, “Protectionist policies may also encourage complacency by US automakers. If they don’t need to worry about Chinese rivals and don’t have to meet tougher fuel economy standards, they might delay investing in the latest technology and keep making large pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles that guzzle gasoline.”
“We should be viewing this as a question of national competitiveness,” said Michael Lenox, a professor of business administration at the University of Virginia. “How long can you keep those cars from the U.S. market through trade restrictions?” That is the $64,000 question.
Solar Soars In BRICS Countries
The latest report from Ember says that in 2024, “the ten BRICS members — Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Russia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates — collectively accounted for 51 percent of the world’s electricity generation from solar, a dramatic rise from just 15% a decade ago.” The US thumps its chest about “energy dominance,” but just as in the automotive sector, it is focused on the past rather than the future.
“As economies like China, India, and Brazil scale up solar at record pace, BRICS is proving that clean electricity can power both economic growth and resilience….These numbers send a clear message — the bloc has the momentum and the opportunity to lead with greater ambition while strengthening energy security and reducing reliance on fossil fuel imports.” said Muyi Yang, a senior electricity analyst at Ember.
CleanTechnica readers are well aware that China has added massive amounts of renewable energy just this year alone, but the Ember report shows that Brazil and India have also had significant growth in renewables. Between January to April of this year, Brazil added 7.9 TWH — a 35% increase — while India added 14.1 TWh — a 32% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
You might think the United States would want to support the manufacturing of solar panels domestically, but the Big Beautiful Bill will have quite the opposite effect. “This is going to put people out of business,” Mike Carr, executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America, told the New York Times this week. SEMA represents more than 15 companies which employ more than 6,100 workers. “This is going to devastate the industry.”
The pain will be felt mostly in the red states that were the primary beneficiaries of the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, they are torn between their desire to be good MAGA bootlickers and the need for good paying jobs in areas that suffer from low employment opportunities. South Korean company QCells decided to build a solar panel factory in Whitfield County, Georgia, because of the incentives contained in the IRA.
“One of my top priorities as chairman of Whitfield County has been to maintain our status as the manufacturing hub of Georgia,” said Jevin Jensen, the chairman of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners in a letter to Congressional representatives. “Qcells’ investments in our county have supported these objectives by delivering thousands of high quality jobs in the area for hardworking families.” But the MAGAgician could care less about those workers. He is more interested in building detention facilities in the Everglades than helping companies succeed in America. How curious.
“Billions of dollars are in the pipeline, innovation is taking root, and tens of thousands of solar jobs across the country are proving that,” said Danny O’Brien, Qcells’ president of corporate affairs. “The solar panels installed on our roofs and powering our businesses and communities will come from China, threatening our national security, limiting our ability to power the AI race and setting back the re-industrialization of critical parts of our economy.” He added, “We’ve been telling senators that it would give the entire industry over to China, starting in 2027.”
The failed president is fine with that, as he is prioritizing being kind to his biggest campaign donors instead of governing in a way that benefits all Americans. In the past, that was known as corruption, but the incumbent has made it standard procedure and white America is cheering.
MALA
It seems the forces currently in control of the United States today are dedicated to making America last again — last in clean energy, last in clean transportation, last in education, last in healthcare, last in child nutrition, and last in contributions to the world community.
Mal is a prefix derived from Latin. It means bad or wrong, and it gives us words like malodorous, malfunction, and malpractice. The current administration has hit the trifecta. It is a malfunctioning collection of malodorous actors committed to governmental malpractice. Despite its oft repeated promise to make America great again, its policies are making America an international pariah. How can a country pretend to be great when it willingly and deliberately cedes leadership in education, manufacturing, and technology to others?
The proper designation for this collection of bullies should be MALA — Make America Last Again. That would be a better description for the malaise that now lies heavy on the land. If only we really could go back to the future, instead of headlong into the past, where rich white men rule with impunity over their plantations. Be careful what you wish for, MAGA, you just might get it.
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