Huffington Post Green
Fighting for a renewables revolution to save the climate has, for the past 30 years, been a question of faith in the ultimate self-interest of humankind, and hope that we would develop the means for our deliverance. The last time I felt this hopeful was in the autumn of 2004 when we raised (many) glasses of vodka to toast the Russian Duma when it passed the legislation for ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, meaning that the treaty would enter into force. Those hopes ultimately proved unfounded, but now, in the wake of the Paris agreement, we have some new numbers from the renewables industry which shows that we have the technology. Now, do we have the will to do it?
Despite cratering fossil fuel prices, investments in renewable energy reached a record US$ 329 billion in 2015. Renewables added more capacity than conventional sources in the US, China (for the 3rd year in a row) and the European Union for the 9th consecutive year. Wind energy was the leading source of new additions.
