Anyone would be forgiven for asking why a soon-to-be law called the “Inflation Reduction Act” is being heralded (and cursed) as the most significant US climate legislation ever. Yes, the bill is expected to reduce the deficit and enables Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which could lower their costs. But shouldn’t something with that name have more to do with price controls and less with solar panels?
“It does seem kind of wacky and counterintuitive for the most consequential climate legislation ever to be called the ‘Inflation Reduction Act,’” says Angela Bradbery, a professor of public interest communications at the University of Florida’s journalism school. “For the public, it’s probably more confusing than anything.”
