Page 7 - Sonoma County Gazette February 2017

Hope, Resistance, & Solutions
By Stacey Meinzen, Center for Climate Protection
Many of us have sunk into a collective depression reading the past months’
national news. Donald Trump’s attack on climate science – including a witch hunt in the Department of Energy for climate scientists and threats to end NASA’s mission to study planet earth – seems aimed at suppressing evidence of climate change. Trump’s cabinet appointments are equally appalling.
While a feeling of powerlessness and despair is a natural response to recent climate news, there are reasons to have hope. Trump’s best e orts to stop climate protection and the shift toward renewables may fail. World leaders have pledged to move forward with the Paris Accord, no matter what the U.S. does. A new report from the Department of Energy reveals just how much
the cost of renewables has dropped in the last eight years (up to 94 percent, according to the Department of Energy), eroding the fossil fuel industry’s cost advantage. Many fossil fuel projects are delayed or cancelled because of the competitive price of renewables, as well as public opposition. And California’s climate leadership in the world’s fth largest economy will continue to
be a powerful Although hopeful, the
f
now solidly fuel interests. not manage expanding oil pipelines and drilling will be top
o
e
priorities for hi
a
a
s s
a
f
.
o
o
r
r
c
c
e
e
.
t
nds are n
t
e
t
r
h
h
e
U
e
c
e
d
d
.
.
rnment is r
e
e
S
S
g
n
s
s
t
. .
g
t
mi
m
e e
t
r
r
i
o
o
u
n
n
r
r
U
o
o
l
l
i
i
v
v
r
e
c
d by fossil d
o
n
t
l
l
E
E
f
T
ve
v
rump does
e
n
i
n
i
f
T
r
t
ect coal,
o
re
o
r
e
e
s
s
u
r
r
i
ation.
s
s
t
t
r
He has made n
do? Should we b
n
r
i
m
o o
secret of this.
u
So what shou
e e
l
l
w
e e
d d
w
b
e
e
m
c
c
o
o
intensely politi
? ?
Should we mar
n n
protests? Shoul petition on Facebook?
c
c
c
i
d d
w
a
a
h h
i
l
r
l
c
l
w
e e
Participation in the
political process is important,
but not enough. We have all
received emails that implore us
to, “Stop the _____!” They quickly
become exhausting and they don’t
give us a vision of a bright future. They
usually only de ne the future we DON’T want.
Striking the right balance between resistance
to what we don’t want and building what we do is
challenging. It requires building on the positive trends
mentioned above. We can take advantage of falling
renewable energy prices to swiftly go solar and electric. We can support e orts to divest from fossil fuels, including rewarding businesses that divest. Perhaps most importantly, we can work to spread clean energy solutions we have seen work right here in Sonoma County.
So how do we spread clean energy solutions? The Center for Climate Protection is reaching out to communities throughout California and sharing how our local renewable energy provider, Sonoma Clean Power, has bene tted us – from saving customers more than $62 million on energy bills to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity by 48%. Sonoma Clean Power has shown that Community Choice Energy can create a LOCAL renewable energy system for great LOCAL economic bene ts.
Clean energy that delivers local economic gains is universally appealing. (Did I mention that it’s local?) In fact, so far Community Choice Energy has spread to over 300 cities in California.
World leaders, including those in California are stepping up and leading powerfully – and so can we. Community Choice Energy has the potential to unravel the fossil fuel industry while simultaneously building a whole new renewable energy system that bene ts local communities. It’s up to use to share this model with other communities. It’s akin to sharing hope and everyone can use more of that.
To learn more about Community Choice Energy and other programs of the Center for Climate Protection, visit www.climateprotection.org or attend one of our monthly Climate Conversations at our office . Email Kristin@climateprotection.org for more information.
2/17 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 7