A little over a year ago, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, stood on the Senate floor looking exuberant. To his right was his trademark green sign — a picture of the Earth and "TIME TO WAKE UP" in large capital letters. The senator, a longtime climate activist, was celebrating what he thought would be a milestone: his 279th and final speech urging the country to take action on global warming. President Joe Biden, who had campaigned aggressively on the subject of climate change, was in the White House and Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. The United States, Whitehouse was sure, was poised to pass significant legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
"A new dawn is breaking," the senator said grandly. "And when it's dawn, there's no need for my little candle against the darkness." It was time to put away his well-worn sign.
