Greenpeace has just released an important report called “Energy [R]evolution: A Sustainable U.S.A. Energy Outlook.” It details how the U.S. can cut greenhouse gas emissions without using nuclear or coal.
The report finds that off-the-shelf clean energy technology can cut U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels by at least 23 percent from current levels by 2020 and 85 percent by 2050 (equal to a 12 percent cut by 2020 and an 83 percent cut by 2050 from 1990 levels) — at half the cost and double the job-creation of what it would take to meet U.S. energy needs with dirty energy sources.
Throughout, the study makes conservative assumptions to ensure the real-world viability of the scenario. The report assumes that only currently available technologies will be used and no appliances or power plants will be retired prematurely, and adopts the same projections for population and economic growth included in the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook.
Here’s a video of Sen. Bernie Sanders discussing the report:
I’m going to read the thing before I say anything else about it.
