The Biggest Thing Since Steam
Flipping the renewable energy script.
If there’s one problem facing the story of renewable energy among American progressives, it is the grimness of the vibe. Renewables, as the story goes, are necessary to fight climate change, save the planet, and do our duty to our fellow living creatures. These things are, of course, all true. But the delivery feels like urging people to eat their vegetables. Yes, it will be good for you and will create new jobs, but any sense of green energy making life better and more exciting feels out of reach. At its worst, the renewable story is one of dutiful necessity tinged with resignation that will bring a meaner, more austere world. All we get in return is a virtue dividend. With messages like that, it is no wonder that solar and wind power are about as exciting as a plate of canned spinach.
But what if that story was wrong and renewable energy isn’t just a righteous yet painful solution to our problems? What if it was the herald of the greatest revolution in energy since the steam engine? Is it possible, even reasonable, to say wind and solar adoption is less like choking down your greens and more like sampling finest ambrosia that will change everything?
The good news is such a utopian vision is far closer to reality than the dour minimalism that dominates much of the conversation and society at large. …
Continue reading this article by Ryan C. Smith, “The Biggest Thing Since Steam,” here: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-biggest-thing-since-steam/