Dem
47
GOP
53
We take the position that, of all the challenges that face the world today, none is greater than global warming. That one pretty much subsumes all the other bad things, as unchecked global warming is going to lead to war, famine, economic upheaval, social strife, population dislocations, large-scale death, etc. This is why we often give over this space to good news on the environmental front. Perhaps you think that makes us wide-eyed pinko commies. To that, we say: Nyet!
Earlier this week, Ember, a think tank devoted to studying global energy trends, issued its semi-annual report, and it contains something pretty big: For the first time, renewable sources are the planet's #1 source of electricity. Renewables—predominantly solar, wind and hydro—were responsible for 34.3% of all global electricity produced in the first 6 months of this year. That means that coal, which fell to 33.1%, has been knocked out of the top spot after more than a century as king of the (very polluted) hill.
The additional good news is that the world's second-worst polluter, China, is taking the lead in growing its renewable energy use. That nation alone accounted for 55% of the expansion of solar energy worldwide. Solar is the most important renewable source, as it can be utilized in many more places than the alternatives. Much of the available hydro power is already being utilized, and wind has much more exacting requirements.
It's not all sunshine and... more sunshine, of course. The U.S., which is the world's worst polluter, lags behind its industrial peers. Part of that is due to a lack of investment (thanks, Big Beautiful Bill), and part of it is due to a lack of vision. The Chinese, as the Ember report notes, foresaw the need for renewables many generations ago, and have been working on the problem ever since. The Americans did not, which is a little ironic, because the technology that became the basis for Chinese renewable production was developed at Bell Labs, in New Jersey, in the 1950s.
Still, progress is progress. And one can hope that the day will soon arrive that the U.S. becomes willing to invest more substantively in renewables, and to learn from nations who have taken the lead in this area.
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)