多年来，民主党人一直将气候变化作为其竞选活动的核心议题——但今年他们几乎未曾提及。
Democrats have made climate change a centerpiece of their campaigns for years — but this year they barely mentioned it.
为什么这很重要：中期选举表明，该议题在政治优先事项名单上的地位下降了多少，甚至在那个最致力于解决该问题的党派内部也是如此——这也表明，物价承受能力将决定民主党人明年的执政方式。
Why it matters: The midterms showed just how far the topic has fallen down the political priority list, even within the party most committed to addressing it — and suggest affordability will shape how Democrats govern next year.
推动新闻的因素：从上到下的民主党候选人在竞选时几乎全都在谈论物价承受能力，包括在总统特朗普发动的伊朗战争背景下飙升的燃料价格，以及因人工智能蓬勃发展而加剧的电费上涨。
Driving the news: Democrats up and down the ballot campaigned overwhelmingly on affordability, including fuel prices surging amid President Trump's Iran war and rising electricity bills, accentuated by the AI boom.
宏观背景：考虑到各种政治派别的民主党人都取得了重大胜利，气候变化的相对缺席显得格外引人注目。
The big picture: The relative absence of climate change is striking considering that Democrats of all political stripes won big.
聚焦：甚至该党一些最知名的气候倡导者也将物价承受能力置于气候变化之上，或者为了应对不断上涨的成本而重新考虑雄心勃勃的气候政策。
Zoom in: Even some of the party's most prominent climate advocates emphasized affordability over climate change — or reconsidered ambitious climate policies in response to rising costs.
- 纽约州州长凯西·霍楚尔曾大力支持该州雄心勃勃的气候议程，但她今年以物价承受能力为由，推动削弱该州具有里程碑意义的气候法的部分内容。
• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who previously championed the state's ambitious climate agenda, pushed to weaken parts of its landmark climate law this year, citing affordability concerns.
- 曾共同起草“绿色新政”的马萨诸塞州民主党联邦参议员埃德·马基在竞选连任期间淡化了这一提案，转而强调物价承受能力和其他优先事项。
• Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who co-authored the Green New Deal, played down the proposal during his reelection campaign, emphasizing affordability and other priorities instead.
- 当选德克萨斯州联邦参议员的詹姆斯·塔拉里科此前曾警告化石燃料对地球的影响，但在竞选时，他将保护石油和天然气工作岗位与扩大可再生能源以及降低电费结合起来进行宣传。
• Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico, who has previously warned about fossil fuels' impact on the planet, campaigned on protecting oil and gas jobs alongside expanding renewable energy and lowering electricity bills. Flashback:
回顾：这种政治转变自2024年总统大选以来一直在进行，当时连专注于气候的团体也开始在政治广告中淡化气候变化，这一趋势一直持续到中期选举。
The political shift has been underway since the 2024 presidential election, when even climate-focused groups began de-emphasizing climate change in their political advertising, a trend that persisted through the midterms.
现状：在选举结束次日与记者的电话会议上，各大环保组织将民主党的胜利庆祝为对特朗普能源政策的拒绝，并辩称他对清洁能源的攻击导致了更高的电费。
State of play: On a call with reporters the day after the election, leading environmental groups celebrated Democrats' victories as a rejection of Trump's energy policies, arguing that his attacks on clean energy contributed to higher electricity bills.
- “特朗普的能源议程对家庭来说是一场经济灾难，对共和党人来说是一场政治灾难，选民们发出了非常响亮的信息，”在选举中投入巨资的倡导集团“气候力量”总裁洛里·洛德斯表示。
• "Trump's energy agenda was an economic disaster for families and a political disaster for Republicans, and voters sent a very loud message," said Lori Lodes, president of Climate Power, an advocacy group that spent heavily on the election.
是的，但是：虽然大肆宣扬“绿色新政”时代明确以气候变化为竞选核心的做法基本已经消失，但民主党人正在将清洁能源重新定位为更广泛关注物价承受能力和经济的一部分。
Yes, but: While the Green New Deal-era approach of campaigning explicitly on climate change is mostly gone, Democrats are repositioning clean energy as one part of a broader focus on affordability and the economy.
- 美国清洁电力协会负责人杰森·格鲁梅特本周表示：“毫无疑问，在民主党领导下，气候变化将成为议程中声音更响亮的一部分。我认为人们认识到，解决方案更多源于丰富的前提，而不是限制的前提。”
• "There's no question that climate change is going to be a more vocal part of the agenda under Democrat leadership," said Jason Grumet, head of the American Clean Power Association, this week. "And I think that people recognize that the solution flows more from an abundance premise than a restrictive premise."
将物价承受能力放在首位的方法反映了气候运动内部更广泛的反思。
The affordability-first approach reflects a broader reckoning within the climate movement.
- “在一个气候问题比几年前更受忽视的世界里，我们必须为取得进展寻找有限的空间，”清洁空气特遣队执行主任阿尔蒙德·科恩在选举前接受《Axios》采访时表示。
• "We have to find the limited spaces for progress in a world where climate is even more deprioritized than it was a couple years ago," Armond Cohen, executive director of Clean Air Task Force, told Axios in an interview before the election.
- 科恩的组织最近公布了一项修正后的战略，专注于政府更能负担得起、且能跨政治阵营吸引支持的气候解决方案。
• Cohen's organization recently unveiled a revised strategy focused on climate solutions that governments can more realistically afford and that can attract support across political lines.
我们正在关注什么：在德克萨斯州等传统上由共和党主导、生产化石燃料的州当选民主党人，可能会巩固该党对经济实惠的能源和经济发展的重视，而不是明确转向摆脱化石燃料。
What we're watching: The election of Democrats in traditionally Republican, fossil-fuel-producing states like Texas could reinforce the party's emphasis on affordable energy and economic development rather than an explicit transition away from fossil fuels.
现实检验：尽管气候变化已不再是最高政治优先事项，但其带来的实体影响以及不断上升的经济成本并未消失。
Reality check: Even though climate change has faded as a top political priority, its physical impacts — and mounting economic costs — aren't going away.
引人注目之处：正如《Axios》记者本·格曼本周早些时候指出的那样，尽管尚未宣布任何决定，但民主党人不太可能恢复众议院气候危机特别委员会。
The intrigue: As Axios' Ben Geman pointed out earlier this week, Democrats are unlikely to revive the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis though no decision has been announced.
- 如今的版本可能会转而关注能源承受能力，并在现有的天然气和公用事业承受能力工作组等现有努力的基础上继续推进。
• A current-day version could instead focus on energy affordability, building on efforts like the existing Gas and Utilities Affordability Working Group. What's next:
下一步：下周将呈现截然不同的现实。
Next week will offer a split-screen reality.
- 参议院准备开始辩论一项繁琐但重要的法案，该法案旨在加快各类能源项目的审批，其对气候变化的影响可能是巨大的，也可能微乎其微。
• The Senate is poised to begin debate on a wonky but important bill aimed at expediting energy projects of all kinds, whose impact on climate change could be significant — or not.
- 与此同时，一些民主党议员计划出席周一在土耳其安塔利亚开幕的联合国年度气候大会。
• Meanwhile, some Democratic lawmakers plan to attend the annual United Nations climate conference beginning Monday in Antalya, Turkey.