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Hoping Trump follows green energy recommendations
President-elect Donald Trump will be making energy decisions that could impact life on the planet forever. Trump could cut or weaken incentives for green energy, according to The New Bedford Light. I hope he will follow the recommendations of our own Department of Energy, EPA, NOAA and NASA to determinedly transition away from profiting from burning fossil fuels. He proposes to accelerate the drilling and burning of fossil fuels to reduce consumer energy costs by 50%. He doesn’t mention the monstrous costs we incur each time we have an extreme weather event of any kind, related to burning fossil fuels.
In 2019, 11,000 scientists from around the world joined together to tell the UN and the world that we were in grave danger of overloading the atmosphere and warming the ocean with heat-trapping emissions.
Norway approached the Climate Crisis in a very proactive way. They used profits from their extensive oil supply to subsidize their Electric Vehicles (EV). Consequently, they are called the EV capital of the world. They export renewable energy to the UK via the world’s longest high voltage cable. They are a model of sound climate policy.
In the U.S., solar energy is soaring and is the least expensive energy in the world. We are finally beginning to catch up with world wind energy. Unfortunately, a problem in the GE Vernova manufacturing plant caused a blade failure. These problems are fixable and wind remains our most powerful and affordable clean energy. As profitable as fossil fuels have been, we have to count the related costs borne by all of us on climate disasters.
Jan Kubiac is a Hyannis resident. She is former Co-Chair of CCPATH. Cape Cod Persons Against Trafficking Persons. Member of Citizens Climate Lobby and the South Shore/ Upper Cape CCL.
Wind timeline has slipped, but setbacks are not surprising
I greatly appreciated Anastasia Lennon’s very thorough account of the (sometimes slow and halting) progress of the South Fork Wind and Vineyard Wind offshore wind power projects.
While delays are frustrating, they are really just part of the process of bringing such a huge enterprise to fruition. The setbacks that Lennon describes are not surprising in such a major undertaking.
What’s important is that we continue to move forward as quickly as we responsibly can. While the timeline has slipped, the value of these projects has not diminished. They represent an economically productive way of dealing with the climate crisis while strengthening local maritime economies and providing well paying jobs.
Let’s keep our eyes on the prize. Thanks for keeping your readers informed.
Christopher M. O’Keeffe is a resident of Marlborough.