Renewable Energy Standards—Mitigating Global Warming

Our crazy weather lately has me thinking about global warming, and about possible solutions. Did you know that the United States produces 25% of global warming greenhouse gases, even though we have only 5% of the world’s population? 28 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have adopted a renewable electricity standard—a policy that requires electricity suppliers to (gradually) increase their use of renewable energy such as wind, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy. These standards will result in the creation of 76,750 megawatts (MW) of new renewable energy capacity by 2025—an increase of more than 570 percent over total U.S. levels (except hydro) in 1997. Still, the Union of Concerned Scientists makes the great point that we can reduce our energy consumption far greater if Congress adopted a national standard. To read more: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/smart-energy-solutions/increase-renewables/renewable-energy.html#.VtUnW4wrLdd