IT'S A FETISH:

For more than a decade, the GOP has stood alone among major right-of-center parties in industrialized democracies worldwide in its refusal to endorse climate science. But during the Trump era, the party's rhetorical emphasis shifted. The major Republican point of agreement is now to insist on fossil-fuel use as an inherent good.

The conservative Washington Examiner reported not long ago on what kinds of climate policies, if any, Republicans may support under a Biden administration. Most of the Republicans queried for the story implicitly agree that climate change is a problem but insist that big government is not the solution. Their buzzword is innovation. A spokesperson for Senator John Barrasso, chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, explains, "He believes free-market innovation, not government taxation or regulation, is the best way to address climate change." Representative Tom Reed says, "You lead with innovation." And the Chamber of Commerce likewise asserts, "It's OK to have ambitions, goals, and targets, but our focus is on innovation and technology."

"Innovation" sounds like promising grounds for cooperation. The green-energy sector has seen an explosion of innovation over the past decade, with the price of solar energy, batteries, and other green technology plummeting rapidly.

But what kind of innovation do Republicans want? Halfway through the Examiner story, we arrive at the bottom line: "Republicans remain opposed to any policies that would reduce fossil-fuel use."

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