Richard Lindzen
Professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Emeritus
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

William Happer
Professor of Physics, Emeritus, Princeton University

June 17, 2025

IRA CLIMATE SUBSIDIES SHOULD BE REPEALED
BECAUSE PHYSICS DEMONSTRATES TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS
WILL BE WASTED WITH NO CLIMATE BENEFIT

Physics demonstrates that the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA’s) trillion-dollar climate subsidies rest on false science. The real science, which is virtually never reported, is that the IRA subsidies of $4.7 trillion (Cato’s estimate to 2050) aim to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will have no climate benefit, for two separate and cumulative reasons:

First, the physics of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases shows that reducing them to net zero will have a negligible effect on temperatures and extreme weather. At present, there are no effective replacements for fossil fuels, and eliminating them will be disastrous for people worldwide. The scientific fact is that doubling carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase the world’s food supply by about 40%, with a trivial effect on Earth’s climate.

Second, the theory that GHG emissions are the primary driver of climate change is based on false science, such as consensus, theoretical models that do not work, fabricated and falsified data, agenda-driven peer review and government opinions. None of this is real science. (See our June 7, 2025 paper for details, Physics Demonstrates That Increasing Greenhouse Gases Cannot Cause Dangerous Warming, Extreme Weather or Any Harm.)

In summary, IRA subsidies will waste trillions of dollars for no climate benefit, reducing carbon dioxide emissions will reduce the amount of food worldwide, eliminating fossil fuels will be disastrous for people worldwide, and the trillions of dollars would be better spent improving Americans’ standard of living.

Accordingly, all the IRA climate subsidies should be repealed ASAP.

Download the pdf here:  Happer Lindzen IRA 2025 06 17