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The narrative has been clear for years: We need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, invest in electric vehicles and build clean energy infrastructure. Those advocating for a pragmatic, market-driven approach to climate change have been told that we’re not doing enough, that incrementalism is a waste of time and that anything short of banning oil and gas is tantamount to climate denial.

No one is shocked when they protest an oil and gas project. But electric vehicles? Solar farms? Transmission lines?

The very groups demanding rapid decarbonization help ensure it never happens, including when it comes to Elon Musk, CEO of the Tesla electric-vehicle company who doubles as a White House adviser to President Donald Trump.

Take the reaction to Trump’s recent announcement that he is buying a Tesla. Rather than celebrating the adoption of electric vehicles — once a cornerstone of the climate movement — activists responded by setting Teslas on fire. The irony is hard to miss: The technology they once championed is now a target of their destruction.

Meanwhile, major environmental groups say little to nothing. The message is clear: Electric vehicles are great — just not those EVs. If this were indeed about reducing carbon emissions, Musk would be celebrated. Instead, he’s condemned. The response has been as unhinged as it is revealing.

It’s no coincidence that the attacks on Tesla ramped up as Musk became politically inconvenient. Once a hero of the left, Musk is now an enemy — not because his cars suddenly stopped working, but because he stopped toeing the progressive line. His support for free speech, his willingness to challenge the Democratic establishment and now his work with Trump have made him an enemy.

Many on the political left also have tried to block electrical transmission projects -- vital for bringing clean power to more homes -- if those lines cross scenic landscapes. Solar farms are opposed for taking too much land. In Puerto Rico, where rolling blackouts are a persistent crisis, the Sierra Club is to stop a significant solar project, prioritizing procedural hurdles over real-world energy needs.

Then there’s nuclear power — the only large scale, carbon-free source of energy that runs 24/7. It should be a no-brainer. Instead, environmentalists have spent decades demonizing it, shutting down plants and blocking projects. Instead of prioritizing action, the movement has become an industry of outrage — clinging to strict litmus tests, refusing to accept trade-offs and thriving on activism, not outcomes.

The consequences of this anti-build, anti-solution mindset are enormous. A Breakthrough Institute found that 72% of lawsuits under the National Environmental Policy Act came from Big Green groups such as the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The result? Clean energy projects get trapped in litigation purgatory, delaying or killing them outright for years.

The United States is on the cusp of an energy revolution. Artificial intelligence, data centers and a rapidly growing economy will require more power, not less. Building clean American energy is impossible when every project is met with a protest, a lawsuit or a purity test.

The future of clean energy won’t be dictated by those who care more about power than prosperity. It will be built by those, including Musk, who refuse to let performative outrage stand in the way of real solutions. Fortunately, Trump is cutting through the red tape and bureaucracy that have stalled America’s energy future for too long.

The era of American energy dominance has begun. The only question left is: Will environmentalists help build it?