OPINION: How natural gas and nuclear have made the U.S. greener, times two
Two-thirds of U.S. states saw their economies grow while they reduced their carbon dioxide emissions from 2000 to 2014. They did this by relying more on natural gas and nuclear energy for electricity production and less on coal, according to a recent report by the Brookings Institution.
Thirty-three states, primarily in the Northeast and South, as well as the District of Columbia, reduced their carbon emissions while they grew their gross domestic products (GDP) during those years, a term known as “decoupling.” Many northeastern states reduced their carbon emissions by increasing the amount of electricity they generate from natural gas, while parts of the South did so, in part, because they rely on nuclear energy.
Several analyses from earlier this year already found dozens of countries decoupled, a feat once thought near impossible because renewable energies were thought to hurt economic growth. In fact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) found in April that the U.S. is the largest country to experience multiple consecutive years of decoupling. But the study by the Brooking Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program is the first of its kind to examine this trend state-by-state.
The study also comes as the world’s nations are poised to experience a shift in how they power their economies and lives, although the direction now remains unclear. In addition to 2015 being the first year in a decade with flat global carbon emissions, it also saw the passage of the Paris climate agreement. But President-elect Donald Trump could reverse this momentum. During his campaign, he promised to revive the coal industry and tear up environmental regulations that he says hurt the economy.