Although the G7 countries make a lot of green promises, the countries (UK, US, Canada, Italy, France, Germany and Japan) actually spent more money on fossil fuels than on green technology ($189bn vs. $147bn) between January 2020 and March 2021, as an article by The Guardian outlines. The Covid-19 response was teased for supporting a more sustainable economy, but actually just 1 in 10 dollars were spent on renewables and energy efficiency measures. It must be clear that it's time for the 'Dirty 7' to become the 'Green 7'. You can help reaching that goal by donating to WCRE or becoming a member.
WCRE's General Chairman Peter Droege has been announced as a keynote speaker at the 11th International 100% Renewable Energy Conference (IRENEC). He will speak about the Regenerative Earth Decade: EUROSOLAR’s fight for Climate Stabilty. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the conference will take place online on May 20 - 22, 2021. It can be attended for free.
As The Guardian points out, renewable energies saw a rapid growth in 2020 despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. According to data by IEA, the renewable energy industry grew at the fastest pace since 1999. One reason for the continuing growth of solar and wind energy is the growing interest of governments and companies regarding the transition to clean energy and economic recovery from the pandemic's impacts.
A new article by Royce Kurmelovs in The Guardian outlines how solar energy has become the cheapest energy by far in the world. Forecasts like from IEA consistently underestimated the potential of solar power's contribution to global energy supply. The article also takes a look back at the history and challanges of the invention of PV modules.
Robinson Meyer comments in The Atlantic on US President Joe Biden's climate policy: "As decarbonization progresses, I think more officials will naturally understand the climate challenge in the frame of coalition building, not free riding. The question for me is whether—during this transition period—the politics of free riding help or hinder Biden’s attempt to forge a stronger pro-decarbonization coalition. If Biden commits to slashing greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030, will that make the public pay more attention to—and feel more skittish about—the rest of his climate-policy playbook? Will nervousness about his policies kick in before the policies themselves pass Congress? I suppose we’ll start to find out this week".