Carbon, Growth and Politics: U.S. States in the Early 21st Century

The transition to lower-carbon energy sources has been described as the biggest socialtechnical challenge ever to face humans. This transition involves a roll-out of new technologies following decisions motivated by economic factors as well as political preferences. In this address I describe how this process has unfolded since 2000 using state-level energy data, while also examining the relationships among adoption, economic growth and political voting preferences. One key finding is the growing correlation since 1992 between the vote share of the Republican presidential candidate and CO₂ emissions per capita, despite the growing adoption of green energy even in so-called red states. The paper concludes with a few recommendations for research, including the need to better understand growing community resistance to renewable energy sources and their community wide impacts.