Transitioning to 100% renewable energy sounds like a sweet deal, right? And, sure, who doesn’t like the idea of saving the earth from climate change. It’s for the children after all. And what wouldn’t we do for the children?
It turns out the reality of “clean” energy is not as sugary sweet as some have portrayed. The impact to our land is much worse than many realize, which questions the environmental value of what would be left behind.
From start to finish, the manufacturing of “green machines” such as wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles, is land, water and energy intensive. And, with renewable energy contributing about 9% of our power make up now, and electric vehicles only making up 1.8% of transportation market share, it is imperative to weigh the costs of increasing our reliance on these technologies, most of which is not made here in America.
