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Support for 100% clean, renewable energy including solar and wind is rapidly
becoming a priority in communities and corporate boardrooms nationwide.
SUPPORT 100% CLEAN, RENEWABLE ENERGY
It is vital to support transitioning our country to 100% clean
energy, including solar, wind and energy storage, because
clean energy is the healthiest, cheapest, and best path
forward for American workers and families. That’s why cities
ranging from Minneapolis, St. Louis and Orlando to Atlanta,
San Diego and Salt Lake City have already committed to
going 100% clean energy.
JOBS:
Jobs and economic growth for working people are among
the most important reasons to be fully supportive of clean
energy. According to the U.S. government, the top two fastest
growing occupations in the nation last year were solar panel
installers and wind turbine technicians. Meanwhile, the growth
in solar, wind and energy effi ciency jobs has already been
so profound that, according to offi cial DOE data, the clean
energy and effi ciency sector already employs 2.5 times as
many workers as the entirety of coal, oil, and gas combined.
Clean energy jobs outnumber jobs in coal and gas alone by 5
to 1. That’s why we must prioritize investing in clean energy
and ensure that the communities and workers historically
dependent on fossil fuels be put fi rst at every stage of our
ongoing transition. As this transition continues, the benefi ts
must be equitably shared, while the jobs and opportunities
clean energy creates must provide family-sustaining wages,
healthcare benefi ts, and union representation for workers.
COSTS:
Communities throughout the United States could be saving
money by switching to clean sources of energy like solar
and wind because they are now cheaper than every other
source of energy in many parts of the country. Communities
like Georgetown, Texas, Greensburg, Kansas, and Rock Port,
Missouri are already getting 100% of their power from clean
sources, and major corporations like Apple, IKEA, Starbucks,
and General Motors are approaching the same. According to
the International Renewable Energy Agency, electricity from
all renewable sources will be consistently cheaper than fossil
fuels by the year 2020.
HEALTH:
Clean, renewable sources of energy like wind and solar
prevent huge amounts of air and water toxics from polluting
the air we breath and the water we drink. As a result, clean
energy has enormous health benefi ts for all people in
America. In fact, according to a study in the journal Nature,
the switch to wind and solar has already prevented 12,700
premature deaths from fossil fuel pollution in the United
States this past decade.
CLIMATE:
A transition to 100% clean energy is important for addressing
the profound challenge posed by the climate crisis. In order
to prevent the worst consequences of a changing climate,
including more frequent and more destructive superstorms, a
crisis in agriculture and for species globally, rising coastlines,
and economic damages that are literally incalculable, it is
essential to begin a quick and just transition to an economy
powered fully by clean energy sources including solar, wind,
battery storage and energy effi ciency.
SUPPORT 100% CLEAN, RENEWABLE ENERGY
Sierra Club Legislative50 F Street, NW, Eighth FloorWashington, DC 20001(202) 547-1141
Sierra Club National2101 Webster Street, Suite 1300Oakland, CA 94612(415) 977-5500
sierraclub.orgfacebook.com/SierraClubtwitter.com/SierraClub
There are many reasons to support a transition
to an economy powered by 100% clean energy,
and we urge you to enthusiastically support
setting that as a national goal.