States Can Derail Climate Targets

In federations, subnational governments that control power generation can commit to coal or other high‑emission sources for decades, making national net‑zero goals unattainable regardless of federal ambition. Queensland’s reversal illustrates how one state’s ownership and policy prerogatives can set the country’s emissions trajectory. — It shifts climate strategy debates toward governance scale and the need to align state‑level authority with national decarbonization commitments.

Sources

White House Rolls Back Fuel Economy Standards

BeauHD 2025.12.04 86% relevant

This federal rollback mirrors the same dynamic at a national level: political actors altering regulatory thresholds (here CAFE mpg targets) can undermine broader decarbonization goals, just as subnational decisions can; the article names the administration and a specific numeric change (50.4 → 34.5 mpg) that directly weakens sectoral climate policy.

Australia's Queensland Reverses Policy, Pledges To Keep Using Coal Power At Least Into the 2040s

msmash 2025.10.10 100% relevant

Queensland’s LNP government pledged to keep state‑owned coal plants running at least into the 2040s, reversing a rapid renewables pivot and complicating Australia’s national targets.