You can see that from 2000 to 2021, renewable energy usage grew faster than any other type. However, coal, oil, and gas usage still grew, by a lot (with a couple recent dips that don’t appear to constitute a trend yet). Overall energy usage is increasing and that is unlikely to change. For now we’re merely slowing the growth of fossil fuel usage. Slowing down is not the same as reversing course.
So yeah, it’s true that “more is being done now than ever before”, but we’re operating from a baseline of nearly zero from 40 years ago. It’s easy to grow in proportional terms when you’re tiny to begin with.
Out of all the comments here, this is the only one to bring data and a legitimate argument, so I commend you.
You’re right, we are still growing overall energy usage and the balance is not being picked up solely by alternative energy. But that’s not really my point.
We keep hearing about this climate change topic in ways that put the responsibility on the general consumer, but clearly that is not solving the issue. Maybe the issue is that the type of alternatives we are picking aren’t actually working. Maybe the issue isn’t how people get to work but how they’re entirely reliant one getting the things they need to survive being supplied through unsustainable means.
I’ve had people shame me for driving a gas powered car but the reality is my Corolla puts out next to nothing compared to the shear volume it takes to get me a solar powered phone charger off of Amazon. Think about food and clothes and shelter. How much pollution does it take to fill a wardrobe. People need to think about things other than basic transportation. Bicycles aren’t going to make the planet greener.
This chart on Wikipedia sums it up neatly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_supply_and_consumption#/media/File:Global_Energy_Consumption.svg
You can see that from 2000 to 2021, renewable energy usage grew faster than any other type. However, coal, oil, and gas usage still grew, by a lot (with a couple recent dips that don’t appear to constitute a trend yet). Overall energy usage is increasing and that is unlikely to change. For now we’re merely slowing the growth of fossil fuel usage. Slowing down is not the same as reversing course.
So yeah, it’s true that “more is being done now than ever before”, but we’re operating from a baseline of nearly zero from 40 years ago. It’s easy to grow in proportional terms when you’re tiny to begin with.
Out of all the comments here, this is the only one to bring data and a legitimate argument, so I commend you.
You’re right, we are still growing overall energy usage and the balance is not being picked up solely by alternative energy. But that’s not really my point.
We keep hearing about this climate change topic in ways that put the responsibility on the general consumer, but clearly that is not solving the issue. Maybe the issue is that the type of alternatives we are picking aren’t actually working. Maybe the issue isn’t how people get to work but how they’re entirely reliant one getting the things they need to survive being supplied through unsustainable means.
I’ve had people shame me for driving a gas powered car but the reality is my Corolla puts out next to nothing compared to the shear volume it takes to get me a solar powered phone charger off of Amazon. Think about food and clothes and shelter. How much pollution does it take to fill a wardrobe. People need to think about things other than basic transportation. Bicycles aren’t going to make the planet greener.