Its #ClimateThanks time, when people and organizations across the world share what theyre thankful for when it comes to fighting climate change. Here are just a few things Greenpeace is thankful for. Have your own #ClimateThanks? Sends them to us @greenpeaceusa, using the hashtag. And happy Thanksgiving!
The insanely fast rise of renewables.
A #ClimateThanks to all the entrepreneurs that have put green energy at the forefront of the electricity business. During the first half of this year, construction of wind and solar energy in the U.S. nearly equaled new gas power–and not one new coal plant was built! At the same time, there are more workers in the solar industry than there are coal miners.
Iowa court widens pathway for solar.
A #ClimateThanks to an Iowa district court which, this July, paved the way for third-party solar in the state. Third-party solar is an increasingly popular financing model that allows homeowners, businesses, and governments to lease solar panels for their rooftops, rather than pay for dirty energy from monopoly utilities. The court decision makes Iowa the 45th state to allow the financing model!
Couples creating awesome technology.
A #ClimateThanks to Scott and Julie Brusaw in Idaho for their solar-powered roadways. Made up of hexagonal panels covered with tempered glass, the road surface can support a vehicle weighing 250,000 Ibs., contains LED lights for making road lines and signs, and can even heat up to melt snow. The couple has created a working prototype that also serves as the driveway to their garage, and this year ran an Indiegogo campaign that raised $2.2. million–more than twice their original goal!
A bump from thePapacy.
A #ClimateThanks to Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the Catholic Church for the religions call for action on climate change at this years UN climate summit in New York. Speaking before Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Parolin said the science of climate change was unequivocal, and called for not only political collaboration on climate change, but for a culture shift toward the fundamental values upon which a better future for the entire human family can be built.
Remembering a whistleblower.
A #ClimateThanks in memoriam to Rick Piltz, who sadly passed away this October. While an employee at the EPA, Piltz revealed efforts within the George W. Bush administration to minimize the scientific certainty of climate change. Transgressions included tampering edits to climate change reports by Phil Cooney, head of Bushs environmental policy council (and a former lobbyist with the American Petroleum Institute). Cooney later resigned.
(Image above by Micha L. Rieser.)
