DOE Head Chris Wright Dubs Himself a ‘Climate Realist,’ Talks Energy Policy at CERAWeek
Discussing increasing utility bills and falling power grid stability, President Trump’s Energy Secretary Chris Wright outlined the administration’s plans for energy policy at CERAWeek 2025.
Wright criticized the emphasis of past Democratic administrations on renewable energy, which he says has yet to prove itself as a reliable source of electricity.
“Wind and solar, the darlings of the last administration and so much of the world today, supply roughly 3% of global primary energy. You often hear larger numbers quoted but that is because of a thermal equivalent scale-up. I don't believe that scale-up is justified, hence I stick with the actual energy produced,” Wright said.
Wright replaced Gov. Jennifer Granholm, President Biden’s secretary of energy. Wright is a frequent Republican donor and also serves on Trump’s newly formed Council of National Energy, headed up by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Interior.
Trump has called Wright a pioneer of the shale gas revolution in the U.S., which led to a boost in natural gas production via hydraulic fracturing extraction.
At CERAWeek 2025, Wright came to the defense of natural gas, saying that past administrations have seen natural gas as being in the rear-view mirror. Natural gas is the largest source of home heating in the US, is central to many industries and also responsible for 43% of power generation, he said.
“Beyond the obvious scale and cost problems, there is simply no physical way that wind, solar and batteries could replace the myriad uses of natural gas. I haven't even mentioned oil or coal yet,” he said.
Wright also said he has been called a climate change denier, going on to deny the charge.
“This is simply wrong. I am a climate realist. I've been studying, speaking and writing about climate change for over 20 years,” he said. “The Trump administration will treat climate change from what it is, a global physical phenomenon that is a side effect of building the modern world.”
Wright said climate change is a “trade-off” that has been a consequence of lifting millions of people around the world out of poverty, and extending life expectancy.
“Responses to climate change bring their own set of trade-offs. The Trump administration will end the Biden administration's irrational quasi-religious policies on climate change and impose endless sacrifices on our citizens,” he said.
In the US, he said, more than 20 percent of Americans struggle to pay their energy bills and roughly 10 percent have received a utility disconnection notice in the last 12 months.
“The last administration recklessly pursued policies that were certain to drive up electricity prices,” he said. “The expensive energy or climate policies that have been in vogue among the left in wealthy western nations have taken a heavy toll on their citizens.”
Wright went on to say that EV mandates from past administrations were wreaking havoc on our auto industry and forcing higher prices and reduced choices on consumers.
He also praised the network of national laboratories, and their progress on artificial intelligence.
“The excitement is palpable to apply AI specifically for scientific advancement. AI impacts on national defense, both offensive and defensive, are likely also transformative,” he said. “The implications on national defense make it simply critical that America leads the AI race. We have the talent, innovative spirit and leading companies to win, but all that won't matter if we can't deliver the energy. AI is an energy-intensive manufacturing industry.”
The DOE is charged with overseeing the energy supply in the U.S., research into new energy sources, cleaning up Cold War-era environmental hazards and running the network of 17 national laboratories. It also maintains the nuclear weapons in the U.S. and works toward nuclear non-proliferation.
