US president Joe Biden campaigned on climate issues, but recent events may have sounded a death knell for his promises. Last week, his attempts to pass sweeping climate legislation were thwarted – by a senator in his own party. And in June, a landmark US Supreme Court ruling has greatly limited the federal government’s ability to regulate emissions from the fossil fuel industry. So where does that leave the Democrats’ climate plans? Ian Sample speaks to Prof Elizabeth Bomberg about what these developments mean for the Biden administration and the rest of the world. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod