Who is Jimmy Carter?

Jimmy Carter's April 18, 1977 speech was the inflection point that made the phrase 'energy transition' globally ubiquitous. Before it, almost no experts used the term.

“Before nineteen seventy seven, very few people, very few experts, talked about energy transition. After Jimmy Carter's speech on eighteenth of April nineteen seventy seven, energy transition is everywhere.”

Despite Carter's public emphasis on solar in 1977, his actual National Energy Plan prioritized coal first, with solar deferred to the future.

“In the report and in the National Plan Energy Band of Jimmy Cattro, it was first and foremost coal. Solar would come after.”

Jeff Currie on the origins of the energy transition narrative.

“Renewables and nuclear power were born out of the Arab oil embargo they are a response to energy security it was nothing to ever do with the climate. It got hijacked by the climate people around 2010, but actually the term energy transition was coined by Jimmy Carter and that was all about energy security during the 70s.”

James Turk on the 'energy transition' label having Cold War roots, not climate roots.

“Actually the term energy transition was coined by Jimmy Carter and that was all about energy security during the 70s.”

The term 'energy transition' was coined by Jimmy Carter in the 1970s as an energy security concept, not a climate change framework, cutting against its current usage.

“Actually the term energy transition was coined by Jimmy Carter and that was all about energy security during the 70s.”

Jeff Currie contends the energy transition was never about climate, tracing its origins to the Arab oil embargo and energy security, with climate advocates only co-opting the narrative around 2010.

“Renewables and nuclear power were born out of the Arab oil embargo they are a response to energy security it was nothing to ever do with the climate. It got hijacked by the climate people around 2010, but actually the term energy transition was coined by Jimmy Carter and that was all about energy security during the 70s.”