We have the technologies to, if not completely replace fossil fuels, at least substantially cut usage and we just aren’t using them.
As you may have noticed during our most recent Earth Day, there were headlines about promising technologies in development to solve the climate crisis. Carbon capture, fusion, atmospheric geoengineering, hydrogen fuels, new batteries ... don’t get me wrong; I’m excited for these technologies. I just worry we won’t use them.
Our current green energy technologies are not perfect. “What about times the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing?” It’s a good question, one that new technologies are working to solve. I have a different question: what about times when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing? Are we making the most of them?
All too often, the answer is: no. sunny rooftops remain bare. Windmills remain unbuilt. Houses lack heat pumps, and electric stoves, dryers, and water heaters. Cars remain gas-powered. Cars remain dominant, without zoning, infrastructure and public transit reform to allow readily accessible alternative modes of transportation. We have the technologies to, if not completely replace fossil fuels, at least substantially cut usage. We just aren’t using them.
And that’s the uncomfortable truth: techno-optimism will not save us. Not because the technologies we need will not arrive in time, but because they have already arrived and we simply lack the political will to implement them. Changing our power grids, houses, transportation and lives is hard. It requires time, money, effort, and saying “no” to fossil fuel lobbyists. No new technology can change that. We need to be willing to put in the work. Techno-optimism will not save us. Only we can save ourselves.If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
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