Grist has named 'greenlash' its word of the year for climate politics in 2025, capturing the backlash against emissions-reduction efforts amid Donald Trump's second term. The term reflects a sharp reversal of prior optimism, as the U.S. abandoned environmental policies while global renewable energy adoption surged. Despite the political shift, public concern about climate change remains high, with two-thirds of Americans expressing worry.
The optimism surrounding U.S. climate action peaked under President Joe Biden, who described the crisis as an “enormous opportunity.” Congress enacted the nation's largest climate law during his tenure, signaling a greener trajectory. However, Donald Trump's inauguration in January 2025 halted this progress abruptly. He dismantled predecessor policies, revoked environmental protections, terminated climate research, withdrew from international commitments, and boosted fossil fuel production—even as the world added record solar panels and wind turbines.
'Greenlash' denotes this reactionary pushback against curbing emissions. In Trump's administration, terms like “clean energy,” “climate science,” and “pollution” vanished from government sites. Corporations muted their climate initiatives, Democratic politicians avoided phrases such as “planetary emergency,” and media coverage dwindled. This influenced public discourse, with Americans reporting less talk of climate change in social media and conversations.
Originating in Europe with resistance to policies like Germany's heat pump mandates due to costs, greenlash in the U.S. drew energy from populism and cultural divides. Grist highlighted it as emblematic of 2025, when climate issues lost political priority. Yet, events underscored the crisis: January fires ravaged Los Angeles neighborhoods, and July floods in Texas marked the deadliest in 50 years.
Public sentiment held steady, with about two-thirds worried about warming. Other terms captured the year's tensions, including 'carbon pawprint' for pets' emissions sparking debates, 'cheap energy' as Democrats reframed clean options for affordability, and 'swasticar' deriding Tesla amid Elon Musk's controversial inauguration gestures and falling sales. Trump's 'energy dominance' executive order promoted fossils, while 'Green New Scam' mocked climate proposals.