After the doom and gloom of 2016, renewables boom.
- Will Hazlerigg
- Jan 4, 2017
- 3 min read
We have been lead to believe by the media that 2016 was terrible but was it? In short, No. Aside from a few much loved celebrities dying and an outlandish, sexist, racist getting voted into the White House.
In terms of things that are great for the Planet that we live on 2016 was actually a very good year (not that this is important, clearly)! As demonstrated in this rather eye opening list of wonderful occurrences that happened in the fabled disastrous year that was 2016.
If you don’t have time to read through the whole thing then I will cherry pick a few of the best in terms of renewables for you.
In March, the US government abandoned its plan for oil and gas drilling in Atlantic waters, reversing its decision from a year ago. Guardian
New research showed that acid pollution in the atmosphere is now almost back to the level that it was before it started with industrialisation in the 1930s. Science Bulletin
In November, the Obama administration followed up its March announcements by banning offshore exploration and drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic until 2022. Politico
The Paris Agreement became the fastest (and largest) United Nations treaty to go from agreement to international law in modern history. CBS
Global carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels did not grow at all in 2016. It’s the third year in a row emissions have flatlined. Scientific American
Thanks to rapid technological innovation and political support from around the world, renewables now account for more installed capacity than any other form of electricity in the world, including coal. Gizmodo
The Chinese government placed a ban on new coal mines, created new rules for grid access, and doubled its renewables targets for 2020. WRI
India announced it won’t need any new coal plants for the next three years because it’s flush with generation capacity. Times of India
In April, the UK’s Chatham House released a report saying “Big Oil is screwed.” Chatham House
In the same month, 25% of European countries announced that they had quit coal. EcoWatch
The BRICS New Development Bank approved $1 billion in renewables investments in China, Brazil, South Africa, and India. RT
In 2016 Costa Rica ran solely on renewable energy for over 100 days. Now it’s aiming for an entire year with no fossil fuels. The Independent
In July, the US, Mexico, and Canada committed to getting 50% of their electricity from renewables by 2025. Their leaders also nailed the awkward handshake thing. Time
A new report showed that China reached peak coal in 2014, a landmark moment in the fight against climate change that was reported by every media outlet on the planet. Right? Guardian
China installed 20GW of solar in the first half of 2016, three times as much as during the same period a year ago. Reuters
In October, the International Energy Agency reported that half a million solar panels were installed each day around the world in 2015. It also drastically increased its five year growth forecast for renewables. IEA
The world’s biggest offshore wind farm received the go ahead for its second phase. Guardian
Mexico announced $6 billion in renewables investments, Argentina $2.7 billion, Scotland connected underwater turbines to its grid for the first time, and solar energy generated more power than coal in the United Kingdom. Independent UK
In November, India unveiled the world’s largest solar-xpower plant, and revealed that it is now on track to be the world’s third biggest solar market in 2017. Al Jazeera
And in the same month, the United Kingdom agreed to phase out coal by 2025, France said it would get there by 2023, and Germany promised to reduce emissions by 95% by 2050. Guardian
What a bad year 2016 was… I mean really, If you think that is a bad year for the planet we need to wake up and smell the roses.
This is a really positive way to start the new year and I for one cannot wait to see what 2017 brings for this tiny fragile blue ball floating around a star we like to call the sun. If you would like to know what to watch out for in the next trip we have around the aforementioned star then this article gives a good idea of what to keep your eyes peeled for.
Bring on 2017!!!!
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