Paul Hirt

Paul Hirt — Retired Professor of History and Senior Sustainability Scholar at Arizona State University

Paul Hirt is a historian specializing in the American West, environmental history, environmental policy, and sustainability studies. His publications include a monograph on the history of electric power in the U.S. Northwest and British Columbia, titled The Wired Northwest (Univ Press of Kansas, 2012). He authored more than two dozen articles and book chapters on environmental and western history and policy. His current research projects include collaborative interdisciplinary research on energy transitions, water use and conservation, urban growth and sustainability in southern Arizona, and adaptive management in the Colorado River Basin. Paul is also involved in many public engagement programs focused on renewable energy development for the Navajo Nation, and various water, energy, and sustainability initiatives of ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability and Global Drylands Center. He earned his Ph.D. in U.S. History from University of Arizona, his M.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Arizona, and his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Arizona.