The Numbers Are In And New Energy Wins

The So-Called Political Divide on Coal vs. Renewables Is Fake News

Jeff Turentine, February 25, 2019 (EcoWatch)

“From a political standpoint, defending coal consumption is harder than ever. Coal is far and away the dirtiest fossil fuel there is in terms of carbon emissions and regular old air pollution (and its messy mining practices certainly aren't helping its reputation)…[L]awmakers from coal-producing states and members of the current presidential administration have long attempted to justify their defense of coal…[by] all the people who rely on the coal industry for a regular paycheck…[But] public sentiment regarding coal and renewables has shifted dramatically…[B]etween 2016 and 2017, the number of Americans who strongly support a coal phaseout increased 11 percentage points, from 18 percent to 29 percent. In that same one-year period, the number of Americans who oppose a phaseout fell by the same amount…[Support for a phaseout rose 13 points] in states with active coal mines…[Strong opposition by Republicans] fell by 14 points…

click to enlarge

…88 percent of Americans are in favor of increasing the use of solar energy in their state, and 82 percent feel the same about wind energy… 79 percent of self-identified Republicans [support] solar and 72 percent [support] wind…Nearly two-thirds of Republicans surveyed—64 percent—said they like the idea of a state renewable energy requirement; even more amazingly, 65 percent of them said they have no problem with boosting the nascent renewables sector through subsidies…In a survey of 400 Ohioans who self-identify as conservative, two-thirds of respondents said they believe their state needs to diversify its energy portfolio by having at least half of its energy come from renewable sources. Nearly the same percentage of respondents said they were more—not less—likely to support a politician who voted for or otherwise expressed support for renewable energy or energy efficiency legislation…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet