Climate Disaster: A Global Urgency for Clean Energy

Headlines this week read, “Climate change Catastrophe” and “Dire Climate Warning” – begging the question, “Should we be concerned?”  Early October came with an eye-opening report from the United Nations that the world must confront the threats of climate change to avoid looming disaster.

Climate Disaster and The United Nations Report

The United Nations warned of mass wildfires, food shortages, drought and dying coral reefs – all by the year 2040.  Some of these issues are problems we are intimately aware of in California.  The East Bay community, where our Solar Showroom and Educational Center, suffered years of droughts and low water levels.  The landscaped yards lining the residential streets look more and more like something you’d find in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona than in the once lush Delta region of California.  Fire has, and continues, to burn homes, schools, businesses and the natural beauty of Northern, California.  In fact, one year ago today, the mass fires of Sonoma county were raging out of control.

California has recently made major environmental change initiatives at the forefront of legislation.  The United States, with the largest economy and being the second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, also needs to make a major push for improved climate.  In California, we have lived – and continue to live, the negative reality of a climate in distress.  The remainder of the U.S. must follow suite to ensure the country does not fall into the same struggle Californians have long had to adapt to.

There Are Many Reasons To Be Concerned

The United Nations report paints a far more distressing picture of the immediate consequences of climate change than ever have been reported.  The report also states that to avoid further damage requires transforming the world’s economy at a speed and scale that has “no documented historic precedent.”

The U.S. must be a leader in dealing with climate change to ensure other countries continue to follow suit.  The authors of the report explain that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at the current rate, the atmosphere will warm by as much as 2.7 degree Fahrenheit.  To prevent the increase in temperature, the report said that greenhouse emissions must be reduced by 100% from 2010 by 2050.  This means that use of coal as electricity source would have to drop from nearly 40% today to somewhere between 1-7% by 2050.

The report is clear.  There is no way to mitigate climate change without getting rid of coal.

Green Energy is The Solution

Reducing electricity dependence on coal means a great increase in dependency on clean, renewable energy sources such as wind, water and solar.

Now it is more important than ever to transition to solar energy for residential and solar electricity needs. The technology and cost all benefit the homeowner and also answer to urgent concerns regarding the state of the environment.  It does not appear that the current administration is overtly concerned about climate.  This means it is imperative each family and business owner plays a role in reducing carbon emissions to ensure an environment future generations can thrive in.

If you have ever thought about going solar, now is the time to reach out to your local solar installer.  The cost of installation is at historic lows. The costs savings offer very fast ROI, leaving solar owners with more money in their pockets.  Additionally, it is one small, but powerful step everyone can make to preserve the integrity of the world. Now is the time to go solar.