Green Social Thought

Produce less. Distribute it fairly. Create a greener world for all.

Subscribe
Donate

Phasing out fossil fuels

A report this Spring showed that while renewable capacity continues to grow like topsy, emissions continue to rise. We are just building a larger energy capacity, not reducing emissions.  Shouldn’t we know that historically new energy sources add to instead of displacing existing sources of energy; that renewables aren’t decreasing fossil fuel use, and that we shouldn’t expect more renewable capacity to…

Written by

Bill Henderson

–

–

Originally Published in

A report this Spring showed that while renewable capacity continues to grow like topsy, emissions continue to rise. We are just building a larger energy capacity, not reducing emissions.  Shouldn’t we know that historically new energy sources add to instead of displacing existing sources of energy; that renewables aren’t decreasing fossil fuel use, and that we shouldn’t expect more renewable capacity to displace fossil fuels of a scale needed before 2030? … UN Secretary-General Guterres has the best of intentions but instead of calling for an urgent and global managed decline of fossil fuel production he instead calls for more renewable capacity built more rapidly… We could survive even thrive without fossil fuels using half the energy we use now – using energy at per capita levels equivalent to the 1960s.