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Twenty Four Reasons for Hope

In the world of environmental advocacy, hope can be a scarce commodity. The daily cascade of negative reports about our planet's health can challenge even the most optimistic personality. That's why 24 Hours of Reality, a global event happening today and tomorrow (September 16-17), promises to be so refreshing: it's all about solutions and hope.
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In the world of environmental advocacy, hope can be a scarce commodity. The daily cascade of negative reports about our planet's health -- warmer temperatures, extreme weather, rising seas and more -- can challenge even the most optimistic personality.

That's why 24 Hours of Reality, a global event happening today and tomorrow (September 16-17), promises to be so refreshing: it's all about solutions and hope.

24 Hours is presented each fall by The Climate Reality Project, the environmental organization chaired by former US Vice President Al Gore. It's a marathon day-long program livestreamed over the internet, and this year's theme is 24 Reasons to be Hopeful. Here are just a few of those reasons.

Renewable energy is becoming much more affordable

The adoption of renewable energy over the past decade has exceeded even the most buoyant projections. Between 2008 and 2012, the price of solar panels declined by 80%. It's no coincidence, then, that more solar panels were installed globally in 2013 than in any prior year: 39 gigawatts of capacity. (For comparison, the total generating capacity of NB Power, my home province's crown utility, is 2.9 gigawatts.)

Solar-generated electricity is already cheaper than conventional fossil fuel power in many countries, and is expected to be cheaper nearly everywhere by 2020.

The price of wind turbines dropped 30 per cent between 2008 and 2012.

Energy storage on the horizon

Widespread adoption of wind and solar energy has long been hampered by a simple reality: what happens when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing? The solution -- a cheap and efficient way to store electricity -- has long been elusive. However, great strides are being made. The most promising large scale technologies are pumped storage (where water is pumped above a hydro dam and held there until power is needed); compressed air storage (where air is compressed into large underground cavities like abandoned mines) and hydrogen. As well, more and more electric car batteries will buffer the power grid of the future.

Global brands are going green

In Canada, Walmart, RBC and Shaw Cable are just a few of the many companies relying at least partly on green electricity. In the US, Staples, Intel Corporation and Unilever are among the companies that get 100% of their electricity from renewable sources. Apple, Starbucks and Boeing are not far behind.

Sustainability is rapidly becoming part of corporate culture and savvy executives are recognizing that the benefits go far beyond energy savings.

Renewable energy is creating jobs

In Germany, over 100,000 people work in the solar industry. In the US, employment in the solar sector is growing rapidly, and more people now work in the solar sector than work in the coal and natural gas industries combined.

The US and China are on the move

Perhaps most heartening of all, the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, China and the US, are mobilizing for emission reduction. In 2013, China led the world in new solar installations. Ditto for wind turbines -- by a huge margin. The country is developing a nationwide emissions trading program.

And the US's new Clean Power Plan charts a course for the eventual phase-out of coal fired power. In spite of an inflexible Congress, it is clear that President Obama is committed to climate change action.

More reasons

If your sense of optimism is revitalized by these five examples, you'll want to tune in to 24 Hours of Reality to hear the other 19 reasons. You'll find it livestreamed at www.24hoursofreality.org starting today at noon Eastern / 9 AM Pacific (and available later as a podcast at the same site.)

One critical final thought: hope is not helpful if used merely to rationalize inaction or foster complacency; hope is only useful as a motivator for action. So may the hope offered by 24 Hours of Reality fuel our desire to act.

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