Rainforest Action Network: Energy

Energy

Electrical consumption is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas pollution in the United States. Coal is the dirtiest form of energy, yet it supplies more than half of the country's electricity—and we continue to burn more of it each year. It’s time to fund our nation's future by diverting money away from new coal-fired power plants and into energy efficiency initiatives and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Such sound investments would allow the U.S. to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020 and obtain 80 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050.

Transportation is the second-largest contributor to greenhouse gas pollution in the United States. Americans use more gasoline per capita than residents of any other country, due largely to the fact that American automakers are producing vehicles that are less fuel-efficient than the cars that were on the road 30 years ago. RAN is pushing for dramatically increased fuel-efficiency standards and the elimination of vehicle greenhouse gases.

Get the truth about biofuels

Biofuels began with a great dream: making fuel from oil or plant waste. But when agribusinesses got involved, the dream went bad.

Biofuels made from recycled waste products differ greatly from agrifuels – agribusinesses’ industrial alternative. To meet increasing demand for these fuels, U.S. agribusinesses are destroying pristine ecosystems to make way for palm and soy plantations. Clearing the rainforest furthers global warming by releasing massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and threatens to increase world hunger by diverting crops from food. Don’t support biofuels that come from newly cleared rainforests.

Energy

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Coal is over, fund the future

Wind and solar power, energy efficiency, a green energy grid—these are our energy future. It’s time to end dirty coal development and invest in sustainable solutions.

Coal is the country's largest, dirtiest source of electricity and climate-changing greenhouse gases. U.S. coal plants are a leading cause of asthma and lung cancer. Despite what the coal industry would have us believe, there’s no such thing as “clean coal.” RAN is calling for a complete halt to new coal development and demanding that banks divert funding away from coal and into renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power and energy efficiency initiatives.

RAN targets Citi and Bank of America
Coal is Over
Fund the Future

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Build support for good alternatives to oil

America can no longer afford the risks associated with our oil addiction. The auto industry has myriad options at its disposal to lead us into an oil-free, pollution-free 21st century.

Mass production of fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid electric vehicles powered by clean, cheap, domestic electricity is one way to wean America off oil. Using existing technology to improve the efficiency of traditional internal combustion engines is another. There's no shortage of options that, if adopted, will pay huge dividends for the environment and the climate.

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Transform transportation in your community

You have the power to transform your community! Together, we can organize to confront America's oil addiction and fight for smart, renewable alternatives!

As an individual, you can help the environment by walking or biking rather than driving; and you can organize others to shift transportation patterns where you live and breathe. Through local organizing, we can convince local and state governments to implement transportation policies to reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It’s up to us to lead the way to a clean, safe future.