Net-Zero’s Priority Waning

PAW’s April issue includes a major article, “Princeton Advances on Path to Net-Zero, But Challenges Remain,” and two letters to the editor “Los Angeles Fires” and “Climate Coursework” which indicate that our university community is not aware of the recent shift away from net-zero among governments and industries world-wide. Examples: 1. A Monmouth University Poll in April 2024 reports decreasing support for government action on climate change since 2018. 2. Breakthrough Energy, an umbrella organization funded by Bill Gates that works on a sprawling range of climate issues, announced deep cuts to its operations. Gates said in an interview, “I’m sad that the current priority of climate change in the rich countries has gone down a lot.” This shift away from net-zero was anticipated in two previous Conservative Princeton Association Expert Panels at Reunions, “Why Climate Change is NOT an Emergency” and “The Great Escape from Net-Zero Hunger Games” (both available on YouTube). As discussed in these panels, this shift is justified by a rigorous application of climate science and a recognition of economic pain resulting from net-zero ideology. Maybe Princeton University should get ahead of this curve?