FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2006
Renewable Energy: Key to Climate Recovery
The message of SOLAR 2006 was clear and very hopeful in light of an alarming context. The world has a major climate challenge; however, we already have the tools in hand to recover and we all are part of that solution.
The Problem. Global warming is occurring, and the consequences could alter life as we know it. The continuing rise in carbon dioxide resulting from fossil fuel emissions is the main reason. The impacts of global warming are planet- changing, and this is happening faster than we thought even ten years ago. The business-as-usual scenarios being presented lead to a changed and challenging climate around the world. Continued reliance on fossil fuels also adversely impacts air and water quality and is already causing serious human health and environmental consequences. And, as is becoming all too clear, our dependence on imported oil has serious implications for our national security.
The Solution. Renewable energy and energy efficiency are the cornerstones of climate recovery. The array of proven possibilities is large and varied enough to provide considerable alternative, carbon-free, secure energy paths:
- Electricity generated mainly from solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower;
- Transportation based on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and other biomass-related fuels;
- Buildings, new and renovated, built to be carbon-neutral;
- Ever more efficient equipment at home and in industry;
- Increased attention to energy implications of land and water use planning at every level and every part of the world.
A special post-conference report, to be released later this year, will document the results of nine expert presentations given at SOLAR 2006, which show that today’s energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies can address the global warming crisis without sacrificing our way of life.
Everyone is a part of the solution. We can choose the products and services we buy, transportation and trips we take, homes and businesses we develop, government policies we support, and how we think of our place in the world now and in the generations to come.