The Beam Podcast, Episode 1: Powering The Globe With 100% Renewable Energy
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By The Beam Editor-in-Chief Anne-Sophie Garrigou
Tune in. Listen to The Beam Podcast, Episode 1: Powering the Globe with 100% renewables.
The Earth is warming at a faster pace than the world’s scientists thought it would, and the climate crisis has become an emergency. Fossil fuels are the largest contributor to climate change. We know that emissions traced to the 90 largest carbon producers contributed approximately 57% of the observed rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, nearly 50% of the rise in global average temperature, and around 30% of global sea level rise since 1880. This is huge! The good news is that we know what we can do to slow down global warming. And it sounds pretty simple: we need to stop burning fossil fuels.
Recent studies have already shown that it is not only feasible but also economically viable to shift to 100% renewables in all sectors, and unlike many people think, we already have all the technologies available to do so.
If we continue to let oil, coal, and gas companies pour more fuel on the fire, the lives of millions of people around the globe will be threatened. Many of them, especially across the Global South, are already suffering from a change in climate, and the injustice of the climate crisis will only get worse with every liter of oil we extract from under the ground.
In short, we don’t have any other choice than to swiftly transition away from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy access for all. What we need is a rapid energy revolution with equity, reparations and climate justice at its heart. To talk about these issues, we have invited three experts who are working toward that goal in various ways but with the same incredible drive and enthusiasm.
Rana Adib, Executive Secretary at Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21)
“I see that the norms we need to change are still very, very present, globally, and there is not enough, I think political ambition with regard to this.”
Rana Adib has more than 20 years of experience in developing and implementing thematically innovative and cross-cutting projects in sustainable energy, environmental services and development. At the international policy network REN21, she has developed a 900+ international expert community and lead the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report series to become an international reference document in the field.
Hans-Josef Fell, President of Energy Watch Group.
“Germany was a frontrunner in the last decade, but in this decade, it became a bad guy.”
Hans-Josef Fell has helped to pioneer the ecological movement in Germany. As a Member of the German Bundestag for the Green Party (1998–2013), he co-authored Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act. Since 2014, he has been President of the Energy Watch Group, an international network which analyses global energy developments and advises governments around the world.
Daniel Kammen, Founding Director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), University of California
“What we’re seeing is that in the face of not just federal inaction but quite frankly federal climate stupidity under this current administration, we’re seeing individual states really ramping up.”
Daniel Kammen has founded or is on the board of more than 10 companies, and has served the State of California and US federal government in expert and advisory capacities. In 1999, he founded RAEL, a laboratory whose mission is to help renewable and appropriate energy systems and technologies realize their full potential to contribute to environmentally sustainable development while also addressing the cultural context and range of potential social impacts of any new technology or resource management system. He has also contributed to various reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Tune in. Listen to The Beam Podcast, Episode 1: Powering the Globe with 100% renewables.
The Beam Podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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