Sheep grazing around solar panel installations
From the Article by Mary Anne Hitt, Sierra Magazine, January – February, 2021
Here’s a glimpse of how we can transition entirely to renewable energy sources.
Last fall, I gave a Zoom lecture to a class of undergraduate students at the University of Puget Sound about the path forward on energy and climate justice. I always go into these presentations with some trepidation, because I know that many young people are overwhelmed by despair about climate change, and I want to be clear about what’s at stake without adding to their anxiety.
After I finished, one of the students offered a simple appreciation that lifted a weight off my shoulders: “Honestly, this presentation has been a relief. I feel so much better. Thank you.”
I could relate to that student’s desperate need for a ray of hope. After a grinding year of climate disasters, racial injustice, and relentless threats to our democracy, it has been easy to lose sight of the better world that we are still, even now, building.
I’m full of hope because, against all odds, a just and sustainable energy future is being born.
Yet I’m full of hope because, against all odds, a just and sustainable energy future is being born. We at the Sierra Club are in the middle of building that future. From stopping the fracked-gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline to reaching the milestone of having 60 percent of US coal-fired power plants on their way to retirement, the progress in 2020 has been remarkable. The United States is on track to get more electricity from renewable energy than from coal sometime in the next few years.
But even as we make progress in hard times, we know that just covering the world with solar panels and electric vehicles isn’t enough. So what would it look like, 10 years from now, if we did this energy transition right — if we prevented runaway climate change, created millions of jobs, and rectified the harms of decades of environmental injustice in communities of color?
Imagine it is 2030 and we’re looking back over a pivotal decade in human history. Allow me to paint a picture for you of the energy transformation that’s possible. Think of it as a love letter from the future.
Parts A, B, C and D of this Article to follow here on FrackCheckWV.net
This article appeared in the January/February edition of Sierra with the headline “A Love Letter From the Clean Energy Future.”
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Damn it, another one talking about coal versus solar and wind as though the gas industry isn’t what’s retiring coal.
We HAVE to take on the gas industry.
But maybe she does, in the subsequent sections — I await them eagerly. We really do need more positive talk. That sunny future is more possible if people are shown pictures of it now, motivating them to fight for it.
Mary Wildfire
POWER AHEAD — From The Union of Concerned Scientists
We need modern electricity. Our future depends on it.
CAMPAIGN CONTACT — Megan Rising, Energy Campaign Manager & Advocate, May 10, 2020
Clean, ultra-low-carbon electricity. A reliable and resilient electricity grid. A thriving energy workforce, and an economy that benefits and includes everyone.
That’s what we’re fighting for, in the states and in Washington, DC— and that’s why we need you.
Make your state a clean energy leader. SEND A LETTER
Clean energy is on the rise. Wind and solar are regularly breaking records, employment is up, and we’ve made modest progress in slowing carbon emissions.
But further progress in the US power sector isn’t certain. Entrenched special interests are lobbying against clean energy policies. An outdated electricity grid is making it harder than it should be to add new renewables. And some of the communities most impacted by climate change aren’t having their voices heard when decisions are made.
We need change. The climate crisis means the transition to a clean energy economy is no longer optional—it’s imperative, and it needs to happen now. You can help.
What we’re doing
>>> Advancing policies that support high levels of renewable energy,
>>> Elevating voices from disproportionately impacted communities,
>>> Fighting misinformation from coal, oil, and gas companies.
LETTER: Virginia leads on clean energy future, Fredricksburg Free Lance — Star, VA
From George Whitehurst, Spotsylvania, Virginia, 8/19/20
It’s great to see Virginia leading America’s efforts to build a clean energy future.
The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is already underway and has won kudos from Gov. Northam as a project that “makes Virginia a national leader in America’s transition to renewable energy,” and for signaling development of a new industry “that will bring thousands of clean energy jobs to our Commonwealth and grow our economy—all while protecting our environment.”
This comes on the heels of the General Assembly’s passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which will create thoughts of jobsannually, help consumers save money and result in net-zero carbon emissions from utilities by 2050.
It seems like there’s already a lot being done to build a cleaner, more environmentally friendly future for our children. But to build on this clean energy momentum, Dominion Energy recently joined more than a dozen natural gas and electric utilities to conduct a study and support the development of clean technologies—to the tune of $100 million combined for the five-year project. This “Low Carbon Initiative” will seek and develop fossil fuel alternatives and help continue Virginia’s clean energy dominance.
As legislators craft policies throughout the special session and next year, and companies invest in the future and innovation, I hope they keep clean energy advancement at the forefront.
https://fredericksburg.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-virginia-leads-on-clean-energy-future/article_cd9a270a-5dcc-529c-a185-8b0c676b9d32.html