Reducing carbon emissions while increasing gross domestic product is not only possible, but is already happening in almost every state in America, according to a new report. Things like market investment in renewable energy companies or projects, and the development of storage technology, have helped propel this transition in 41 U.S. states and DC. All major regions in the U.S. from 2005 to 20017 were found to have increased real GDP, a common marker for economic productivity, while simultaneously cutting the growth of, or reversing, greenhouse gas emissions. The nonprofit World Resources Institute (WRI) also credits “improvements in vehicle emissions standards, increases in lighting and appliance efficiency, a shift from coal to natural gas in the power sector, [and] the rapid deployment of wind and solar power.” The five that cut their local carbon emissions the most, despite federal policy, while still growing their economies were Maryland (38%), New Hampshire (37%), the District of Columbia (33%), Maine (33%), and Alaska (29%).
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