Biden’s climate bill victory was hard won. Now, the real battle starts

Many of the programs created by the IRA have rigorous timelines, which means the Biden administration must act quickly. Photograph: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images

The bitter fight to deliver a climate change bill to Joe Biden’s desk this summer pitted the White House and its Democratic allies against some of America’s most powerful industry lobbies and every Republican in Congress. It may prove to have been the easy part.

At the heart of the hard-won Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is a $369bn package of climate investments that Biden called the “most significant legislation in history” to tackle the climate crisis. Estimates suggest it could cut US greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.