The Key Climate Issues to Watch in the Midterm Elections

The midterm elections are almost here, and voters across the United States are getting ready to head to the polls. Most voters say they care most about the economy, health care, and the war in Iran. But climate change is also quietly on the ballot — and the results could shape U.S. environmental policy for years to come.

Over the past two years, the Trump Administration has made several changes that weakened climate protections. These include pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, rolling back a key rule that limits pollution, and allowing oil and gas drilling on public lands. Many people who care about the environment are hoping that a change in Congress could help stop further rollbacks. Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to support strong climate action.

Malcolm Araos is a professor at New York University who studies climate policy. He says a new Congress may not be able to undo all the damage that's been done — but it can prevent things from getting worse. "A new Congress, or new Senate can't reverse [many of the climate rollbacks], but they could investigate why [they were] repealed, and they could stop things like that from happening in the future," he said. That alone could be a major win for climate advocates.

On Election Day, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be decided. In addition, 35 seats in the Senate are up for grabs. Democrats need to gain four seats to take control of the Senate, which would give them more power to shape the country's laws.

Even if Congress doesn't act on climate, state and local elections still matter a lot. Geoffrey Henderson, a professor at the University of Michigan, says state elections can unlock big changes. When one party controls the governor's office and both chambers of the state legislature — called a "trifecta" — it becomes much easier to pass strong climate laws. States like California, Virginia, and Colorado have already passed climate policies even as the federal government has rolled them back.

Voters in several states will also decide on specific climate-related ballot measures. In Colorado, voters will weigh in on a measure that would give people the right to buy and sell natural gas. Critics worry this could make it harder for the state to move away from fossil fuels. In Michigan, a measure would limit how much power companies can spend on political campaigns — important because Michigan utility companies have fought against community solar programs.

Two bigger issues — the war in Iran and the rapid growth of data centers — may also open doors for climate-friendly energy solutions. Araos says that when energy becomes expensive or unreliable, people start looking for better options. "These moments of crisis when energy is really really expensive [can] lead to these switches to renewable energy," he said. The war has shown how risky it can be to depend too much on fossil fuels.

Data centers — the massive buildings that power the internet and store huge amounts of digital data — have become a hot topic in 10 states, including California, Kansas, and Ohio. These facilities use enormous amounts of electricity and water, which worries both local communities and climate groups. Henderson says this issue is bringing together people from different political backgrounds. For climate advocates, this could be a rare chance to build a broad coalition around a shared concern.