100% Clean Energy
Transitioning to the post-carbon society is the challenge of our generation.
100% of the people over most of human history have lived a lifestyle free of fossil fuels. We, the fossil generation, are the exception, not the rule. Our current way of life, based on burning oil, gas and coal, is not the rule, it is the exception and needs to come to an end better sooner than later, because it is throwing the planet’s climate off-balance.
How are we going to maintain (or achieve) a high level of well-being without fossil fuels? This has been an area of active research and experimentation for decades now.
Today, there are already over 100 plans around the world on transitioning to 100% clean energy!
View The LINGO map of 100% Clean Energy Plans in a larger map
From plans to power the world economy on 100% renewable energy, over national strategies to transition to independence from fossil fuels in ten years, to local city/community plans. Some regions have already achieved a fully renewable energy mix.
Of course, for many countries and cities, the question is still very much open. There is no doubt that well-being without burning fossil fuels is possible. There is also no doubt that it will cost us quite some effort to redesign and transform the way we live. Open-minded and dedicated citizens are needed to take up the challenge everywhere and start giving answers in a locally appropriate way.
On September 21st, 2014 more than 2000 cities worldwide answered Avaaz’s call for organizing a march and delivering a petition for 100% clean energy in their city!
At LINGO, we have initiated this discussion in San Cristóbal de las Casas (Mexico), Durban (South Africa) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and on a country level in Brazil and South Africa.
If you would like to advance this issue, you may want to check out the work of the following pioneers and initiatives:
- Hermann Scheer
- Paolo Lugari
- Amory Lovins
- Gunter Pauli’s Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI)
- the Global Ecovillage Network
- the Transition Town Movement
- These are just a few who have advanced some of the answers to one of the biggest challenges of our times.
The Climate Transformations project of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute looks at some of the barriers that need to be overcome to achieve the necessary transformations.