In the renewable energy arena, Jimmy Carter is perhaps best known for having solar panels installed on the roof of the White House — panels that were later removed by his successor, Ronald Reagan.
But the 39th president, who left office in 1981 and died Sunday at age 100, had grander visions for a sustainable planet. If the U.S. had acted on them, we might face a less calamitous climate future than we do today.
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Carter cared deeply about the natural world. As president, he doubled the size of the national park system and tripled the amount of federally protected wilderness. He signed the Superfund law, which created a way for the government to fund hazardous waste cleanups. He tried and largely failed to block construction of more than a dozen expensive, environmentally destructive water infrastructure projects such as dams, canals and reservoirs.
He also tried to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, implementing the first vehicle fuel-efficiency standards and tasking researchers with bringing down the cost of solar panels — an effort he predicted could be “a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.”
“Nobody can embargo sunlight,” Carter said in 1978 at the federally funded Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden, Colo., the predecessor to today’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “No cartel controls the sun. Its energy will not run out. It will not pollute the air; it will not poison our waters. It’s free from stench and smog.”
Prophetic words. And although he was largely thinking about how to free Americans from geopolitical crises that could wreak havoc on oil supplies and gasoline prices, he also had heat-trapping greenhouse gases in mind.
Soon after taking office, he ordered an ambitious study of “probable changes in the world’s population, natural resources, and environment.” The final report from the White House Council on Environmental Quality warned that fossil fuel combustion could cause “widespread and pervasive changes in global climatic, economic, social, and agricultural patterns.” It advised that to avoid such risks, we should limit global temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — the goal eventually agreed to by nearly 200 nations, 35 years later.
Even if Carter’s actions were targeted more at reducing oil imports than at cutting planet-warming pollution — he was willing to increase domestic coal production if it meant less dependence on foreign crude — the political battles he fought, particularly those he lost, have lessons for those of us who care about the climate today.
The historian Kai Bird, for instance, notes that after struggling to pass a tax on gas-guzzling cars, Carter wrote in his diary, “The influence of the oil and gas industry is unbelievable, and it’s impossible to arouse the public to protect themselves.” Indeed, oil and gas companies still wield huge influence. Sport utility vehicles are more popular than ever.
When fossil fuel executives say we have no choice but to buy what they’re selling — when they claim we have no alternatives — consider how different the world might look like if they hadn’t helped beat back Carter’s plans.
Carter had managed to overcome their opposition and give us an earlier start on alternatives.
And when you think about what you want the world to look like in 10 or 20 or 30 years, think expansively.
Actually, start by making a point to think long term in the first place. During turbulent times like the ones we live in, it can be difficult to look beyond the next four years — or the ever-more-extreme weather bearing down upon us.
But this is where we should take inspiration from Carter. He couldn’t bring about his vision for a more sustainable planet; he wasn’t even elected to a second term. But he did live to be 100. He saw the world change, a lot.
We need to see more changes to survive. May we all be as luck as Carter was.
President Jimmy Carter holds up the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act at the White House after signing the bill into law in 1980. The legislation established federal protections for more than 150 million acres of land in that state.
(Associated Press)
On that note, here’s what’s happening around the West:
THE ENERGY TRANSITION
Not a lot of stories this week, with many journalists off for the holidays. But on the transit front, The Times’ Melissa Gomez reports that the state agency behind California’s long-awaited bullet train is training Central Valley residents for high-paying jobs. And our China correspondent Stephanie Yang reports that Chinese electric vehicle makers are upending Thailand’s auto industry, edging out longtime Japanese leaders such as Subaru and Suzuki.
A few fossil fuel stories too:
- A former Utah coal town reinvented itself as a mecca for artists, tourists and Christmas lovers, helping keep the local economy afloat. The December light parade looks beautiful. (Brooke Larsen, High Country News)
- Outgoing U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland took a step toward protecting Nevada’s Ruby Mountains from oil and gas drilling. We’ll find out whether the Trump administration changes course. (Nichola Groom, Reuters)
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law requiring major fossil fuel companies to pay for billions of dollars in damages from climate change-exacerbated extreme weather, with the money going into a state fund that will be used to fix infrastructure, restore ecosystems and treat injuries. The law could help pave the way for similar accountability legislation in California and elsewhere. (Hilary Howard, New York Times)
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Today is the last day of what will almost certainly go down as the hottest year on record — again. You may recall that the current record-holder is 2023. NPR’s Lauren Sommer has details on the latest bleak numbers.
In other climate consequences:
- The Santa Cruz Wharf’s partial collapse amid powerful currents and towering waves should serve as a grim reminder that California’s piers may not be able to withstand global warming. (Noah Haggerty, L.A. Times)
- Valley fever cases are skyrocketing in California, with climate change likely a factor. (Susanne Rust, L.A. Times)
ONE MORE THING
The morning sun illuminates the Teton Range in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park in 2016.
(Brennan Linsley / Associated Press)
Let’s end the year with some happy news.
More than 600 acres of treasured lands surrounded by Grand Teton National Park — which until this week were owned by the state of Wyoming, and which state officials had hoped to auction on the open market — are now part of the national park. The land purchase by the federal government was made possible by $62.5 million in federal funds and $37.6 million in private fundraising. Details here from Billy Arnold at the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
Grand Teton is awesome. I wrote a few years ago about backpacking there. Wonderful memories.
No Thursday edition this week. Happy New Year, everyone.
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