I can imagine a world where burning fossil fuels is not necessary to produce energy. – Fact: Solar and wind potential is far higher than that of fossil fuels and can meet global energy demand many times over. Source: Carbon Tracker report
Many people cite the need to mine the necessary minerals to transition as unacceptable. Mining can be done with respect for the land and people. Many of the required minerals can and will be recycled.
Consider the status quo: The biggest mining operations ever undertaken on our planet are for coal, oil, and gas — all to be burned with resulting GHG emissions. Bill McKibben puts it plainly: “We need to stop burning stuff.”
In 2019, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said we must embrace “cathedral thinking,” adding: “We must lay the foundation while we may not know exactly how to build the ceiling.”
Further reading
- “If you win the popular imagination, you change the game”: Why we need new stories on climate | The Guardian
- The Sky’s the Limit: Solar and Wind Energy Potential: Carbon Tracker Initiative
- “It was a set-up, we were fooled”: the coal mine that ate an Indian village | The Guardian
Return to New Challenges List