Politicians concerns about national economy, GDP growth, employment rate; environmental activists support pollution reduction, carbon emission and climate change. What if there is a way we can satisfy both groups?

We’ve have discussed about renewable energies for ages now, yet few national or international policies have been established to promote them. But now, within these past few years, more and more successful economists and politicians have started to support renewable and green energies. The cause is the emerging interest of using them.

In the past, politicians often fear that such policies would lead to dissatisfaction of people, especially in locations where the natural landscape is treasured, and add burden to the economy. However, globally, this industry of wind power and solar power is growing exponentially. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, wind and solar energy attributes to 55% of the new electricity-generating capacity added annually. Investments have poured in and the number of solar panel installers and wind-turbine technicians have also grew in areas that promote green energies such as Texas.

Indeed, around half of the Texas’ electricity is now generated by wind, and this industry, together with solar energy, create 35,000 jobs. Well, what is core reason behind this transition?

Unlike the past, wind and solar energies have now been cost-effective and faced high demand. They are no longer expensive to install and operate and many landowners in the outskirts of states like Texas have been paid royalties for the use of land. These electricity-generating companies have also paid governments to avoid oppositions. Dewey Engle, a retired worker living in the outskirts of Texas claimed that he would be more than willing to have companies installing wind turbines on his land to receive an extra amount of money.

In conclusion, the world’s attitude towards green energy has changed; many politicians realize that they could be proponents of renewable energy with its prospect of reducing pollution and booming the economy at the same time with more employment and affordable electricity. Besides, companies like Vistra Energy, one of Texas’s largest electricity firms, moved forward in this direction in reducing the reliance upon coal from around 70 to less than 50 percent now. And current investments are mainly focused on renewable energies. Many other firms start to support green energy as well.

With promising future of using renewable energy and gradual elimination of concerns evolve around the costs and consequences on economy, we should remind our politicians to reconsider this issue and spread the awareness.

References:

• “A Renewable-Energy Boom Is Changing the Politics of Global Warming.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 14 Mar. 2020, www.economist.com/united-states/2020/03/14/a-renewable-energy-boom-is-changing-the-politics-of-global-warming.
• Image:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/196469602477945759/