California is on the frontlines of the climate crisis with wildfires, blackouts, and intense heat waves showing a glimpse into our future if we don’t mobilize to address the worst impacts of this crisis.
Following California’s blackouts last month, different actors and agencies quickly began to point fingers at who and what was responsible for not keeping the lights on.
What really happened is complicated, but the three biggest takeaways are that:
The blackouts were NOT caused by California’s ambitious clean energy policies. On the contrary, these blackouts show that we need HUGE investments in clean energy to become more resilient.
When Californians were asked to, they stepped up and conserved energy. In fact, many households with solar and storage became mini-power plants, pumping energy into the grid and keeping the lights on during the blackouts.
We need a rapid and just transition to 100% clean electricity and carbon neutrality to build a safe and livable future, especially for the communities suffering the most under our dirty fossil fuel economy.
As our Executive Director, Nicole Capretz, explained in her recent op-ed from the San Diego Union-Tribune, “California also showed it has the tools, technology and political will to build a clean, equitable and healthy climate safe future. Now is the moment to take charge, plan, and model for the world how to do it.”
To learn more, check out Nicole’s op-ed here.
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