Subnational actors have been at the centre of US climate action in recent years, as America’s states, cities and businesses have stepped up their ambition, through both near-term investments and long-term emissions reduction goals. Policy has been a crucial driver of climate action, but the falling costs of renewables, advances in technological development and a shift in businesses’ priorities have also stimulated the green economy. As a result, in recent years, there have been massive investments at the state level in renewable energy, grid upgrades, energy storage, electric vehicle infrastructure, energy efficiency, hydrogen, carbon capture, adaptation and resilience, along with other areas. Potential new actions from the US Congress or the executive branch could accelerate or enhance trends.

This national overview covers the main findings of the reports on 25 states, examining the role they play in US climate action by assessing states’ green economy potential, looking specifically at electric vehicles, offshore wind, grid modernisation, energy storage, energy efficiency, carbon capture, utilisation and storage, hydrogen, green consultancy and waste to energy. We highlight the vast potential of the states’ green economies and examine where the investment opportunities and challenges lie. We assess each sector in each state based on qualitative and quantitative analysis to provide a holistic overview of key political, economic and technical dynamics influencing the green economy. In four high growth sectors – energy efficiency, energy storage, clean vehicles and offshore wind – we also provide forecasts of employment growth through 2025. Forecasting methodologies can be accessed in the Appendix.

View our Appendix / Methodology here