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The US Climate Bill Is a Bigger Deal Than Most People Realize

Climate spending thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act may end up as high as $1 trillion, says political science professor Leah Stokes.

Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act on Aug. 16. 

Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act on Aug. 16. 

Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg

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While the United States fancies itself a global climate leader, the country is coming off a decade of tumultuous policy: It signed the Paris Agreement in 2015, withdrew two years later and didn’t rejoin until 2021. Now, as the country counts down to midterm elections and the start of annual climate talks in Egypt, Americans are taking stock of whether President Joe Biden has lived up to his promises.