Commentary by Jim Warren.
Global temperatures in 2016 are near the tipping point that could cause global warming to surge forward under its own momentum. The heating is happening much faster than scientists expected even a year ago.
It’s partly due to the natural gas industry’s leakage of methane, a super-potent greenhouse gas that’s now the key US driver of global warming.
And the mad rush to burn more and more gas – by Duke Energy and others – is the key driver of the fracking boom.
By contrast, many US utilities are rapidly expanding solar and wind power. Sempra Energy gets 36 percent of its power from renewables.
But Duke Energy, the nation’s largest utility, is near the bottom – under 3 percent – even as it spends millions to make people believe it’s green.
Tragically, Duke leaders are holding back the shift to renewables – while ramping up fracking and moving us all closer to chaos.
Climate change is terrifying. But … the climate responds quickly to methane, so cutting methane leaks and fracking can slow global warming in the short term. In fact, it’s the only way to avert the climate tipping point.
NC WARN is pushing Duke Energy to stop its fracked gas expansion and join the Clean Energy Revolution.
