The start of a new year is when people take stock of what’s working and what isn’t. Families reassess budgets. Businesses review strategy. Lawmakers should do the same, especially when it comes to energy policy.

After decades of lofty climate promises, 2026 arrives with a stubborn reality: Global demand for energy will continue to rise. The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, data centers, and electrification points in the same direction. Yet much of the policy debate has historically remained fixated on distant emissions targets rather than the immediate question Americans, and billions of people around the world, actually face: Will affordable, reliable energy be available when it’s needed?

Today, that answer is increasingly uncertain.

As we find new ways to improve the quality of life, electricity demand will continue to surge. Yet, many policymakers continue to advance mandates and timelines that neglect basic constraints of physics, engineering, and economics. The result is a widening gap between ambition and reality — one that manifests itself in higher prices, grid stress, and growing reliability concerns.

Even prominent advocates of aggressive climate action are beginning to acknowledge these trade-offs. Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, for example, emphasizes that improving lives, especially in........

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