Earth Day: Fastest-Warming Cities and Record Clean Investment

Since 1970, 98% of analyzed U.S. cities and all 50 states have warmed, with Reno, Nevada and Alaska experiencing the fastest increases. To combat this, U.S. clean technology investment reached a record $239 billion in 2023, more than tripling since 2018, with South Carolina and Nevada leading in investment as a percentage of GDP, primarily driven by battery manufacturing.

• Temperature analysis shows that all 50 U.S. states and 237 out of 241 analyzed cities (98%) have warmed since 1970. The contiguous U.S. has seen an average temperature increase of 2.6°F, which is close to the global warming limit of 2.7°F (1.5°C) agreed upon by 196 countries. Alaska was the fastest-warming state (+4.3°F) and Reno, Nevada was the fastest-warming city (+7.6°F).
• Atmospheric concentrations of heat-trapping gases continue to rise due to fossil fuel combustion. In 2023, CO2 and methane levels were more than 50% and 160% higher than pre-industrial levels, respectively. The annual average CO2 concentration at Mauna Loa, Hawaii reached 421 ppm in 2023, a 29% increase from 1970.
• U.S. investment in clean technologies—including solar, wind, and battery storage—reached a record $239 billion in 2023, more than tripling the 2018 level when adjusted for inflation. This growth has accelerated following the 2022 passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
• In 2023, South Carolina (2.2% of GDP) and Nevada (2.1% of GDP) were the leading states for clean investment as a percentage of state GDP. Battery manufacturing was the primary driver of investment in six of the top 10 states: South Carolina, Nevada, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, and Kansas.
• The U.S. aims to reduce heat-trapping emissions by 50% below 2005 levels by 2030, but the current reduction rate of approximately 1% per year since 2005 is insufficient to meet this target.

APA

Delgado, M., & Hess, H. (2024). Earth Day: Fastest-Warming Cities and Record Clean Investment. Climate Central. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earth-day-fastest-warming-cities

Chicago

Delgado, Michael, and Hannah Hess. Earth Day: Fastest-Warming Cities and Record Clean Investment. Climate Central, 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earth-day-fastest-warming-cities.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Delgado |first1=Michael |last2=Hess |first2=Hannah |title=Earth Day: Fastest-Warming Cities and Record Clean Investment |publisher=Climate Central |date=17 April 2024 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earth-day-fastest-warming-cities |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{delgado2024earth, author = {Delgado, Michael and Hess, Hannah}, title = {{Earth Day: Fastest-Warming Cities and Record Clean Investment}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earth-day-fastest-warming-cities}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }