Earlier this week, Lisa Friedman, Brad Plumer and I reported on the head-spinning moves by the Trump administration that are undermining the government’s ability to combat climate change.

Trump’s policies, which are promoting fossil fuels and reducing support for clean energy investments, are expected to increase emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases.

The changes comes as the energy transition — the broad shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean power — had been racing ahead. Spending on clean energy in the United States topped $280 billion in 2023, up from about $200 billion in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency.

Many of these investments were encouraged by laws passed during the Biden administration. But much of the activity is simply a function of market dynamics as the price of clean energy comes down and demand for solar, wind and batteries grows.

Put differently: not even the White House can fully control the pace of the energy transition.

Over the past month or so, I’ve asked a wide range of policymakers, executives and climate activists what they think will happen to renewable energy projects, electric vehicles and other initiatives now that Trump is in power.

None disputed that the administration’s actions were having an effect. But most asserted that while some of Trump’s moves may slow the pace of change, they are unlikely to stop it completely.