It's time to break our addiction to fossil fuels
When we burn coal, oil and natural gas, we release greenhouse gasses that trap heat and warm the planet. Unfortunately, many sportsmen don't realize that renewable energy sources like solar, wind, geothermal and hydro, coupled with increases in energy efficiency, can meet America's energy needs. We currently have the technology, the know-how, and the resources to power the United States with clean, renewable energy.
What we lack, at least so far, is the will-power. Mark Jacobson of Stanford University has detailed a viable path towards 100% clean, renewable energy for America by 2050. To learn more, please watch the Yale Climate Connections video below.
Looking for further inspiration? The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has published detailed information on moving America to clean, renewable energy.
According to the NAS: “Low-cost and reliable clean electricity can now become the cornerstone of a net-zero emissions economy, as fuel for electric vehicles, efficient heat pumps, and a source of heat and clean hydrogen for industrial processes. The past decade has seen the levelized cost of wind and solar power drop nearly 70 percent and 90 percent, respectively, while the cost of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles dropped by 85 percent.”
One final point. In addition to cutting our CO2 emissions, clean, renewable energy sources like wind and solar can help move us away from large, centralized power systems and offer more choice and resiliency for our electrical needs. When we put solar panels on our roof, or add a wind-powered generator, we become less reliant on the electrical grid and less dependent on expensive fossil fuel energy.