Who is planning to build the largest city in the world, powered by 100% renewable energy? China, who just announced it will ban the internal combustion engine to accelerate the transition to electric transportation, would be an excellent but incorrect guess. The correct answer is Saudi Arabia, who is investing $500 billion of its vast oil wealth to build a futuristic and sustainable city 33 times bigger than New York City.
Tectonic shifts in global attitudes about carbon pollution and the rapid progression of renewable energy technology are creating tremendous opportunities for nations to capitalize on the necessary transition to 100% renewables.
The Chinese are sick of choking on smog and are reaping fortunes from their decade-long national investments in clean energy manufacturing and record-setting installations of wind, solar and battery storage. Mindful of Tesla's incredible market value in the U.S., the Chinese are investing heavily in electric vehicles and sending powerful, encouraging signals to consumers and manufacturers by announcing the end of the internal combustion engine vehicle.
Here in the U.S. our leadership is announcing plans to bring back gas guzzlers by lowering vehicle efficiency requirements, trying to promote the burning of more coal by blowing up the Clean Power Plan, pushing for oil drilling in some of our most ecologically sensitive public lands and doing everything in its power to stifle investments in renewable energy.
While the rest of the world charges ahead toward a low carbon future because it is good for the economy, good for the environment and ensures energy independence and security, the United States is burying its head in the sand at enormous peril to present and future generations of Americans.
We the people have the power of the vote to hold our local, state and national politicians accountable. Important local elections are coming up this month and absolutely critical mid-term national elections are just one year away in November 2018.
Get involved, get informed and do your part to thwart the reckless agenda of today's leadership that is rapidly making America the least favorable nation in the global community. Far worse, our leadership today is taking America backward, threatening our economic prosperity and risking all our hard won progress on protecting the natural environment. Your vote for clean energy is critical for our long-term economic and environmental sustainability.
