Decarb America Research Initiative: Building a Clean Energy Economy

How can the world’s largest economy “decarbonize” in just three decades? Can it be done? What will it take?  And how can we go about it in a way that protects American workers, keeps our economy strong, and preserves our nation’s global leadership in technology and innovation? These are the questions Decarb America aims to help answer. In 2021, a joint research initiative of the Bipartisan Policy Center, Clean Air Task Force, and Third Way, Decarb America used a cutting-edge modeling platform to explore different policy and technology pathways for achieving net-zero U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Results from our in-depth analyses advance understanding of the impacts, tradeoffs, investment needs, and opportunities that lie ahead as our nation and the world enter a critical period to address climate change and transition to clean energy systems. The challenge is enormous. Empowering policymakers with the information and tools they’ll need to make smart decisions is essential for success.

For further details please see the memo section below to learn about the study, technical details such as considered scenarios, technical results, published reports, methodology, and interactive data maps.