Podcast Summary: “The Future of Energy Has Arrived — Just Not in the U.S.”
The Daily, The New York Times – November 18, 2025
Hosts: Rachel Abrams, David Gelles, Brad Plumer
Summary By: [Your Name]
Episode Overview
The episode investigates the shifting balance of global leadership in clean energy technology, focusing on China’s ascension and the United States’ retreat under the Trump administration. With the U.S. absent from the annual U.N. climate conference (COP) for the first time in three decades, the episode unpacks what this means for the future of energy, geopolitics, and domestic jobs.
1. The U.S. Skips COP: A Watershed Change
Key Points:
- The UN Climate Conference (COP) took place in Belem, Brazil, without any official U.S. government representation [03:32–04:23].
- President Trump, on his first day of his new term, withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement [04:23–05:57].
- Impact: Any agreements made this year will not include the U.S.
Quote:
"The United States, which is the world's largest economy and one of the biggest emitters in the world of planet-warming gases, was simply MIA. The Trump administration sent no one." — David Gelles [03:54]
Significant Segment:
- COP context/background: [00:57–03:47]
- Absence of U.S.: [03:47–05:57]
2. China Steps Up: From Polluter to Clean Tech Supplier
Key Points:
- With the U.S. exit, China dominated attention and negotiations at COP, showcasing its status as the world’s top producer and exporter of solar panels, electric vehicles, batteries, and transmission technology [05:57–09:47].
- At the conference, China’s pavilion was the largest and the most popular [06:05–07:34].
Quote:
"Other countries are literally lining up to do deals with the Chinese because they want these technologies." — David Gelles [05:43]
Notable Moment:
- Descriptions of the bustling China pavilion, with lines of officials from other nations eager to engage [06:05–07:34].
3. The Paradox of China’s Leadership
Key Points:
- China remains the world’s biggest emitter, largely due to its coal usage.
- Despite this, its surge in renewables is dramatic, and it is exporting these technologies globally [07:34–09:47].
Quote:
"It's a total paradox, but this is the world we're living in right now... China remains the biggest polluter... And yet what they have also done... is ramp up to an unfathomable degree their adoption of solar panels and wind energy." — David Gelles [07:16]
4. What Exactly Is China Selling?
Key Points:
- Products: Solar panels (most in the world), wind turbines, advanced batteries, transmission infrastructure, and electric vehicles (notably BYD cars) [08:12–09:59].
- Infrastructure: China builds and exports massive-scale solar farms, transmission lines within China and globally (notably in Brazil), and electric trains [10:37–12:14].
Quote:
"Chinese electric vehicles, which are incredibly cheap, way more advanced than the EVs we can buy here in the United States and are proliferating around the globe." — David Gelles [10:09]
5. China’s Clean Tech Scale vs U.S. Capabilities
Key Data:
- Batteries: U.S. exports ~$3B; China exports $65B.
- Solar Panels: U.S. exports $69M; China exports $40B.
- EVs: U.S. exports $12B (mostly Tesla); China exports $38B and rising fast [12:23–13:06].
6. The Geopolitics: Soft Power and Strategic Influence
Key Points:
- Chinese investment in clean energy projects builds influence, especially in developing countries stepping away from U.S. aid [13:41–14:46].
- The strategy stems from China’s ambition for energy independence and geopolitical leverage, dating back to policies initiated in the early 2000s [15:11–16:38].
Quote:
_"Teach a man to fish, but also control all of his fishing poles, essentially." — Rachel Abrams [14:46]
"That’s one way to say it." — David Gelles [14:51]
Notable Moment:
- Story of Premier Wen Jiabao’s push for energy independence, kicking off China’s clean tech investments [15:11–16:38].
7. The U.S. Response: Doubling Down on Fossil Fuels
Key Points:
- The Trump administration expands oil and gas drilling, rolling back Biden-era climate initiatives and regulations [21:23–22:12].
- Significant funding for wind and solar projects canceled; emphasis is on exporting natural gas and oil [22:35–23:42].
Quote:
"...the administration genuinely does not see climate change as a problem worth thinking about at all. So if you do not think climate change is worth worrying about, then you may as well try to drill and sell as much oil and gas as you possibly can." — Brad Plumer [23:42]
8. Fossil Fuel Industry Power & the Renewables Pullback
Key Points:
- Oil and gas industry’s political support and lobbying remain powerful [25:09–25:23].
- Trump’s well-documented, personal antipathy to wind and solar power goes back decades, including his opposition to Scottish wind turbines near his golf course [25:55–26:58].
Quote:
_"I mean, today I’m playing the best course, I think, in the world, Turnberry... Even though I own it, it’s probably the best course in the world, right?" — Donald Trump [26:33]
(lampooning wind turbines on the horizon)
9. Manufacturing Jobs, the “Green New Scam,” and Policy Reversals
Key Points:
- Biden-era policies led to a manufacturing boom for clean energy, including in Republican areas; Trump administration’s repeal causes projects to be canceled [27:29–28:23].
- Administration says renewables don’t need incentives, but also actively blocks them (offshore wind, federal lands) [28:39–29:10].
10. The AI-Energy Nexus: A Different Bet for the Future
Key Points:
- The administration ties the U.S. energy strategy to powering the AI industry, believing natural gas and nuclear are better suited for power-hungry data centers [29:29–30:21].
- Tech companies and experts disagree, but Trump officials dismiss an “all-of-the-above” strategy, focusing on fossil fuels [30:37–31:34].
Quote:
"Chris Wright, the energy secretary, has even said... 'I am not for that. I am not in favor of wind and solar power.' He sees them as unreliable and not worth supporting." — Brad Plumer [31:15]
11. Risks: Ceding the Green Tech Future
Key Points:
- By prioritizing fossil fuels and downplaying clean tech, the U.S. is potentially surrendering future jobs and industries to China, echoing past consequences of policies like NAFTA [33:30–34:06].
- Even if a new administration reverses course, it would be extraordinarily difficult for the U.S. to catch up to China due to its dominant head start [34:06–35:01].
Quote:
"We invented technologies like the solar panel and the lithium ion battery... but China got good at scaling them up... and they now dominate those industries." — Brad Plumer [33:30]
12. Closing Reflection
Key Takeaways:
- The U.S. has set itself on a course centered on fossil fuels and AI, largely abandoning the renewable energy arms race to China—possibly irreversibly so, unless policy drastically shifts again [34:55–35:07].
Quote:
_"The Trump administration is setting us on a course that is hard to reverse." — Rachel Abrams [35:01]
"That’s correct." — Brad Plumer [35:07]
Most Memorable Quotes & Segments
-
On U.S. absence at COP:
"Not one person." — David Gelles [03:49] -
On China's ambition:
"They finally achieved sort of economies of scale, and now solar power. Chinese solar panels are literally the cheapest form of energy we have ever had on Earth." — David Gelles [16:38] -
On American energy priorities:
"They are quite hostile to renewable energy, particularly wind and solar power, and just do not agree with the view that we should have an all-of-the-above energy strategy." — Brad Plumer [30:40]
Key Timestamps for Reference
- [03:47–05:57] — The U.S. is missing from COP; Trump’s withdrawal from Paris Agreement
- [06:00–09:59] — China’s clean tech dominance at COP and globally
- [12:14–13:06] — Export data: Batteries, solar panels, electric vehicles
- [21:23–22:35] — Trump energy policy: fossil fuel expansion, renewable rollback
- [27:29–28:23] — Clean energy manufacturing jobs under threat from policy reversal
- [29:29–31:34] — The AI/energy linkage in U.S. policy
- [33:30–35:07] — On ceding the future of green technology to China
Overall Tone and Language
The episode is probing and urgent, with a sense of concern about lost American leadership and jobs, but also frank about the practical and political realities underlying the current administration’s choices. Speakers are fact-driven, analytical, and occasionally ironic (e.g., “Teach a man to fish, but also control all of his fishing poles”).
Summary for New Listeners
If you want to understand why China is winning the clean energy race, how the U.S. is betting its economic future on fossil fuels and AI, and what that could mean for jobs, climate, and global influence, this episode is an essential listen. The discussion lays out how these bets are already reshaping global alliances and market realities—and why these decisions might be very difficult, or even impossible, to reverse in the years ahead.