However, the United States might also benefit from looking inward and possibly even learning from China. China’s ascent was driven by strict mandates and targets—strategies currently unfeasible in the United States due to a politically charged environment where lobby groups can easily overturn sound industrial policy following a change in administration.

That is unfortunate, as such mandates have proved effective; for example, the EU’s target for 25 percent of its critical minerals demand to be met through recycling by 2030 has significantly bolstered the industry.

All that oil lobbying and the regressive politics it promotes is now visibly harming the USA while other countries advance. It's a failure across the (very narrow) US political spectrum, engendered by a corrupt system that serves entrenched business interests.

It looks like the USA is about to embark on another 4 years of reality denial and protectionism, after which it will be even further behind. Republicans have made it clear that they will make it as difficult as possible to run sustainable energy businesses while pushing hard for more fossil fuels. This will do not only environmental damage but also economic and political damage to the country.