Imagine a fossil fuel free future

I can imagine a world where burning fossil fuels is not necessary to produce energy. –  Fact: Solar and wind potential is far higher than that of fossil fuels and can meet global energy demand many times over. Source: Carbon Tracker report

Shotwick solar park, the largest in the UK, in north Wales. Photograph: Christopher Furlong

Many people cite the need to mine the necessary minerals to transition as unacceptable. Mining can be done with respect for the land and people. Many of the required minerals can and will be recycled.  

Consider the status quo: The biggest mining operations ever undertaken on our planet are for coal, oil, and gas — all to be burned with resulting GHG emissions. Bill McKibben puts it plainly: “We need to stop burning stuff.”

In 2019, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said we must embrace “cathedral thinking,” adding: “We must lay the foundation while we may not know exactly how to build the ceiling.”

Further reading


Return to New Challenges List