The Inflation Reduction Act finally offers a chance for widespread change.  Photograph by Robert Nickelsberg / Getty In a sweeping and urgent reported piece, Bill McKibben examines the immense promise—and potential perils—of the Inflation Reduction Act, which dedicates hundreds of billions of dollars to the task of sharply reducing the nation’s use of fossil fuels. That will mean retrofitting millions of homes; overhauling buildings; and replacing everything from cars to cooktops. “We estimate that there are a billion machines in American homes that have to be switched out,” a leader of one electrification nonprofit says. It’s a huge challenge, but one for which we may finally have the tools we need. As McKibben writes, “Engineers have provided relatively cheap and incredibly elegant technology: the most cost-effective way to produce power is to point a sheet of glass at the sun. The federal government is providing the biggest infusion of clean-money capital in its history. But can it actually be done?” This must-read article lays out the steps we’ll need to take to make it happen. —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » | 
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