Climate scientists tell us that we need to shift very fast from coal, oil and gas to clean energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro energy. These renewable energy industries are growing, but they need to grow much faster if we are to be sure of avoiding catastrophic global warming.
In an e-Parliament poll, more than 700 legislators in 70 countries put renewable energy at the top of their priority list, and, in a series of e-Parliament international hearings looking at policy options, legislators concluded that one of the key steps governments need to take is to build regional clean energy supergrids to enable us to power the economy largely from renewables. Many experts, including James Hansen, Director of the NASA Institute for Space Studies, are saying the same.
Please add your name to the statement below, calling on our governments to begin work on this without delay.
To prevent dangerous climate change, and to avoid high fuel costs, we call on our governments to accelerate the shift to renewable energy with the following steps:
• Create clean energy supergrids connecting whole regions, or all parts of large nations, so as to draw on solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and other renewable energy sources wherever they are plentiful.
• Create stronger financial incentives for energy producers to feed into the grid rapidly increasing quantities of clean energy.
• Use hydroelectric power as back-up energy to help ensure 100% reliable supply.
No task is more urgent than reducing our carbon emissions. Governments must act without delay.