25 Aug 2026
Signal Headquarters
Vol. I
No. 237
Profile

Who is Jimmy Carter?

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, is credited by multiple sources with coining the term ‘energy transition’ in the context of energy security during the 1970s.

Track record

  • Jul 2026 - Jeff Currie said that the term ‘energy transition’ was coined by Jimmy Carter and was all about energy security during the 70s.
  • Jul 2026 - James Turk said that the term ‘energy transition’ was coined by Jimmy Carter and was all about energy security during the 70s.

On the record

What named speakers have said about Jimmy Carter.

Worth quoting

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.”
Jeff Currie · 9 Jul 2026
Worth quoting

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.”
James Turk · 8 Jul 2026
Contrarian take

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.”
James Turk · 8 Jul 2026
Contrarian take

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.”
Jeff Currie · 9 Jul 2026
Signal Headquarters · reference note, compiled from attributed expert discussion. Last updated 2026-07-10.