This is, I think, one of the best ways to go towards clean energy. I would start with (gradually) eliminating gas plants and coal plants. There are already some countries doing this but I think the process needs to be accelerated. What are your thoughts on this?
I agree. I think that governments all over the world should be focusing on offering financial incentives for utilities to switch to renewables. This is the biggest, quickest way to speed this up. Even if a government will lose some money at the beginning, over time we all win.
I would also go for converting coal plants to hydrogen or biomass so we can reuse these old plants and not just close them down (if possible, of course). Governments should be investing heavily into wind and solar farms as these can produce tons of energy that is much cleaner.
@annie-harris - They should also go for energy storage solutions (batteries, pumped hydro, etc.) to balance intermittent renewable power and better grid integration to distribute clean energy more efficiently.
AND I would go more in the direction of relying less and less on big power plants and go for community solar projects where neighborhoods generate and share power and microgrids that operate independently in remote areas.
@kenny Yes, all great ideas but for this to actually happen governments must also do something crucial:
end fossil fuel subsidies! Governments around the world are pumping billions of dollars supporting fossil fuels. Instead of funding pollution, these resources could and should
-lower the cost of renewables and battery storage.
-support green job training programs for workers transitioning from fossil fuel industries.
-fund research into emerging clean energy technologies.
If governments go for increasing subsidies for renewables this will make them even more competitive. And they must also find and eliminate any loopholes that make gas/oil/coal so cheap thus eliminating incentives for such companies to do things the way they do it now.
Carbon pricing should be a thing everywhere and all companies from such industries should be held accountable for their environmental impact. Go for a carbon tax where companies pay taxes per ton of carbon they emit which will make “bad” energy much less profitable. Also implement the cap-and-trade system where there are emissions caps and companies can buy and sell allowances to emit carbon. Those companies who pollute less can sell their excess credits.
@james-sanders Based on what you’ve said I did a little research and found out that Sweden has one of the highest carbon taxes ($137 per ton) and yet its economy is thriving. The EU has a strong cap-and-trade system reducing industrial emissions.
Carbon pricing needs to be high enough so companies want to change things, otherwise they will just take the loss and keep doing what they are doing and ruin the earth.
So many great ideas, y’all :)! Here are some positive news on this:
Denmark has already banned new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.
California plans to end new gas car sales by 2035.
France is ending fossil fuel extraction by 2040.
So some countries and regions are already heading in the right direction. Now how do we make others follow along?
@maya-miller The problem is complex and requires multiple approaches from governments and from us (we as citizens should also do what we can in our own little way).
Heavy industries (steel, cement, chemicals) rely on fossil fuels for high-heat processes. They should be encouraged to opt for other, better solutions like:
Green hydrogen. Using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, creating a clean-burning fuel.
Electrification: Using electric arc furnaces for steel instead of coal-based blast furnaces.
Carbon Capture: Capturing emissions before they enter the atmosphere and storing or reusing them.
