When Jimmy Carter chose branding designs for his presidential campaign, he passed on the usual red, white and blue. He wanted green. This color became symbolic of how much the Georgia Democrat valued nature and prioritized environmental policy. Nearly half a century later, environmental advocates are remembering Carter, who passed away on December 29, 2021, at 100, as the president who elevated environmental stewardship and discussions about the global threat of rising carbon dioxide levels.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to abandon the renewable energy investments included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, echoing how Ronald Reagan dismantled the solar panels Carter installed on the White House roof. The scientific consensus now aligns with where Carter stood, with many acknowledging him as decades ahead of his time. "President Carter was four decades ahead of his time," stated Manish Bapna, who leads the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Carter was not just about image; his administration implemented the first U.S. efficiency standards for passenger vehicles and household appliances. He created the U.S. Department of Energy, which streamlined research efforts focused on energy efficiency and doubled the wilderness areas under National Park Service protection. His approach even encouraged Americans to conserve energy through personal sacrifice, urging citizens to drive less and moderate thermostat settings amid global fuel shortages.
Yet the narrative surrounding Carter’s environmental legacy also includes what he could not accomplish before his landslide defeat to Reagan. Just before leaving office, Carter had received alarming reports linking fossil fuel usage to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. His advisors urged immediate reductions, emphasizing the severity of "carbon dioxide pollution." Biographer Jonathan Alter noted, “Nobody anywhere in the world in a high government position was talking about this problem” before Carter.
With limited time left, Carter could only release these findings, which largely went unnoticed, leading to missed opportunities. The report recommended keeping global average temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels—a goal echoed later at the 2015 Paris climate accords. If Carter had been reelected, as Alter speculated, climate change awareness would have significantly progressed by the early 1980s, adding what many see as a tragic dimension to his political defeat.
Reagan's administration marked a stark departure from Carter's environmental policies. He ended high-level discussions about carbon emissions and criticized efficiency standards as government overreach. His chief of staff, Don Regan, famously dismissed Carter’s solar panels, referring to them as "a joke." While Carter emphasized renewable energy, Reagan pushed for fossil fuel dependency, including deregulating the oil and natural gas sectors.
Critics point out contradictions where Carter's push for energy independence still benefited the fossil fuel industry. During and after Carter's tenure, coal-fired power plants were built, and his support for offshore drilling contradicted some of his claims to combat climate change. There were efforts, like the Synthetic Fuels Corporation, to produce alternatives to fossil fuels—though those initiatives would have resulted in higher carbon emissions.
Yet among the critiques, there is acknowledgment of Carter’s forward-thinking priorities, especially concerning energy research coordinated through the Department of Energy. Steven Nadel of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy highlighted the value of Carter’s national approach to energy policy.
Carter’s environmental interests were deeply rooted in his rural upbringing. From early hunting and fishing experiences to managing farmland, he developed a vision for environmentalism long before it became mainstream. “Jimmy Carter was an environmentalist before it was a real part of the political discussion,” remarked Dubose Porter, who recalled Carter's commitment during his governorship.
When he arrived at the White House, he carried those values with him, fighting often unwinnable battles against projects he believed were damaging. His success is noted for extending federal protection over more than 150 million acres, including significant natural sites like California’s redwood forests and vast lands across Alaska.
His blurring of national security with environmental sustainability came during crises influenced by global oil markets. He framed the energy crisis as “the moral equivalent of war,” aligning his religious beliefs with environmental stewardship, leading to calls for both individual sacrifice and substantial actions toward renewable energy.
Ironically, the “malaise” speech of 1979, where he lamented consumerism's impact on societal values, has been regarded by some as pivotal. Despite being criticized at the time for its lack of inspiring effectiveness, Carter’s message turned out to offer foresight on America’s relationship with consumption and meaning.
“You can say the Carter presidency is still producing results today,” noted Washington Governor Jay Inslee, who pursued climate action during his own presidential run, underscoring the importance of Carter's contributions to today’s climate discussions.
While the Reagan administration captured the American political narrative by reinforcing traditional fossil fuel dependency, Carter’s introverted but resilient campaign for environmental awareness set the stage for future dialogues concerning climate and energy policies.