President Joe Biden promised to counter climate change on the campaign trail, but Democrats are complaining he is not meeting the moment now he is in office. After Biden's pledges were de-prioritized due to the pandemic economy and then Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) scuttling the latest iteration of the president's social welfare and climate spending bill amid record-breaking heat waves has thrust the issue back into the political spotlight. 
The 7 foods getting hit the hardest by price spikes this year
- From sweets to veggies, the USDA has a list of foods getting more expensive this year.
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused fertilizer shortages, disrupting farming worldwide, and increasing prices.
- The climate crisis has also worsened food supply due to unpredictable weather.
Get ready to see higher prices at the grocery store this year.
Climate setbacks aren’t the end of climate action
Bipartisan congressional action is still the best pathway for effective climate policy. © Provided by The Hill The Supreme Court’s decision in the West Virginia vs. EPA case came as particularly bad news for activists who had hoped regulation would be the key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In a 6-to-3 decision, the court curtailed certain authorities granted to the EPA under the Obama-era Clean Power Plan. Specifically, the majority struck down the agency’s ability to issue sweeping regulations to compel power plants to transition toward cleaner energy sources.
Bipartisan congressional action is still the best pathway for effective climate policy. © Provided by The Hill The Supreme Court’s decision in the West Virginia vs. EPA case came as particularly bad news for activists who had hoped regulation would be the key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In a 6-to-3 decision, the court curtailed certain authorities granted to the EPA under the Obama-era Clean Power Plan. Specifically, the majority struck down the agency’s ability to issue sweeping regulations to compel power plants to transition toward cleaner energy sources. The US Department of Agriculture released its food price outlook for 2022, and it found that a range of foods, from sweets to fruit, will likely be getting more expensive. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine last month, the US sanctioned Russia and disrupted shipments of Russian fertilizer, which farmers are heavily reliant on, and it's caused prices to soar alongside the worsening climate crisis.
According to USDA, food prices in February 2022 were 7.9% higher than they were in February 2021, and it noted the conflict in Ukraine as a primary cause of increased prices.
The US is not the only country feeling the impact of supply chain disruptions. The World Food Program found last month, according to Axios, that Middle Eastern countries are very reliant on wheat from Ukraine, with Lebanon importing 60% of its wheat from the country, and United Nation Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Ukraine's food supply chain is "falling apart," and the impact will be experienced globally.
Biden's global promises held back by politics at home
WASHINGTON (AP) — Soon after taking office, President Joe Biden went to State Department headquarters to tell the rest of the world that the United States could be counted on again after four years of Donald Trump’s bull-in-the-china-shop foreign policy. “America is back,” Biden said, in what has become a mantra. But keeping his promises on the international stage has proved much more difficult than Biden might have expected. Domestic politics have routinely been a roadblock when it comes to taking action on climate change, taxes and pandemic relief, undermining hopes that Biden could swiftly restore the U.S. to its unquestioned role as a global leader. Even before the Russian invasion, the worsening climate crisis was straining food supply. A UN article reported that over the next three decades, "food supply and food security will be severely threatened if little or no action is taken to address climate change and the food system's vulnerability to climate change." Unpredictable weather patterns can hurt food production, as seen with fish and lobster supply as ocean temperatures rise, and climate advisors have stressed the importance of taking action now to reduce carbon emissions and transition to clean energy before it's too late.
Due to supply chain disruptions and climate change, here are all the foods getting more expensive this year:
The Department of Agriculture says it will plant more trees as the White House eyes additional climate mitigation actions. Meanwhile, California is stepping up its own climate goals. This is Overnight Energy & Environment, your source for the latest news focused on energy, the environment and beyond. For The Hill, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Biden…This is Overnight Energy & Environment, your source for the latest news focused on energy, the environment and beyond. For The Hill, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. 
While California enjoys a reputation for being ahead of the nation on climate action, the climate crisis is unfortunately not graded on a curve . The state’s own modeling shows it is far off track to meet both its 2030 and 2045 climate targets. Recent setbacks prove that even a Democratic super-majority is not immune to the vast influence of the oil and gas industry. In recent years, other states have surpassed California’s commitments, showing that California’s policies are due for an update. 
