Energy Transition Concerns
There are a number of energy resources misleadingly considered “clean,” “renewable,” and/or “necessary for the clean energy transition” that actually do more harm than good. This means that without course correction, policies that claim to move us to a “clean” energy future will potentially create even more harmful environments.
This brief series examines the most frequently cited energy resources that ignite concern for a truly clean and equitable energy transition. These energy resources are often touted as “renewable” or “clean” or “low-carbon” alternatives by various proponents (such as governments or fossil fuel interests themselves). They rely on misleading narratives, false “all-of-the-above” claims, and flawed arguments that compromise equity and justice. In reality, none of these energy resources will help us achieve the zero-emission future we need for a climate-just world we deserve.
SUMMARY FACT SHEET: Harmful "Clean Energy" Solutions – What You Need To Know
In this fact sheet, you’ll find the top-level messages from each resource covered in the Energy Transition Concerns brief series: hydrogen gas, waste incineration, carbon capture and storage, biogas, and biomass.
BLOG: Our “Clean” Energy Future May Increase Harmful Air Pollution. Here’s How to Course Correct.
Communities already burdened by toxic air quality are now having to fight policies that would spew even more pollution into their neighborhoods – all under the guise of “clean energy.” Read on to find out which “clean” energy resources actually create more harm than good and three ways communities can course correct to the equitable clean energy future we all deserve.
Overview
Carbon Capture and Storage
POLICY BRIEF: Carbon Capture and Storage: A Dangerous Distraction
In this brief, you’ll find:
What is carbon capture and storage and why is it harmful?
Why doesn't CCS work as a climate solution?
How does CCS perpetuate environmental inequities?
How can we push back against CCS hype? What can we invest in instead?
BLOG: Carbon Capture and Storage is a Pipe Dream. Here Are Five Reasons Why.
Despite the known risks associated with carbon capture and storage (CCS), the technology has been gaining support as a “climate solution” in recent years. But when something sounds too good to be true, it often really is. For CCS, it is actually much worse – and here are five reasons why.
Biogas
BLOG: Despite “Renewable” Credentials, Biogas Is Threatening Our Clean Energy Future
Giant, overflowing “lagoons” of pink, toxic sludge dot the coast of North Carolina. They also leak, pollute, and sicken the environment and communities around them. Yet, these unhealthy cesspools and their alarming risks are sticking around – thanks to the rapidly growing, greenwashed industry of biogas.
POLICY BRIEF: Biogas: A Polluting Source, Greenwashed
In this brief, you’ll find:
What is biogas and how can it be harmful?
Are there any scenarios where biogas is appropriate?
What biogas uses should be avoided?
What clean energy and policy solutions avoid reliance on biogas?
Biomass
BLOG: “Green” Biomass Boom Leaves Trail of Dirty Air and Decimated Forests
In many parts of the US, pellet mills are clear-cutting forests and processing the wood into pellets to be burned for “green” energy – leaving behind a trail of dust-filled, toxic air, planet-warming emissions, and devastated communities. Read how biomass is able to earn “green” credentials and why it simply should not.
POLICY BRIEF: Biomass: The Heavy Toll of Burning Trees for Energy
In this brief, you’ll find:
What is biomass and why is it harmful?
Why doesn’t biomass work as a climate solution?
How does biomass perpetuate environmental inequities?
What clean energy and policy solutions avoid reliance on biomass?
Hydrogen Gas
BLOG: All You Need to Know About Hydrogen Gas and Why It Won’t Save Us [PART 2]
Perhaps the worst consequence of the outsized attention on hydrogen gas is that it distracts from more viable and cheaper climate solutions and policies. In this 2-part blog, we dispel what types and uses of hydrogen gas do and do not have a potential role in a truly clean and equitable energy transition. In Part 2, we describe better alternatives for clean energy solutions and – with caution – how specific hydrogen uses may have a role in our climate-just future.
POLICY BRIEF: Hydrogen Gas: A False Promise
In this brief, you’ll find:
What is hydrogen gas and why is it harmful?
What are some limited uses for green hydrogen gas?
What should hydrogen gas not be used for?
How does hydrogen gas perpetuate environmental inequities?
What are the clean energy solutions?
BLOG: All You Need to Know About Hydrogen Gas and Why It Won’t Save Us [PART 1]
Only hydrogen produced from zero-emission, renewable energy – known as “green hydrogen” – and used in a fuel cell is truly carbon-free and pollution-free. But fossil fuel advocates downplay this fact and want us to think that many types of hydrogen gas will play a big role in the clean energy transition. This is wrong. In this 2-part blog, we dispel what types and uses of hydrogen gas do and do not have a potential role in a truly clean and equitable energy transition. Part 1 describes what is incompatible with a climate-just future.
Waste Incineration
POLICY BRIEF: Waste Incineration: Deeply Harmful and Outdated
In this brief, you’ll find:
What is waste incineration and why is it harmful?
How does waste incineration perpetuate environmental inequities?
What are some examples in the United States?
What are the clean energy and policy solutions to address waste incineration?
BLOG: Climate Policy Loopholes Are Keeping Deadly Waste Incinerators Alive
After 30 years of community opposition and hundreds of emissions violations, one of the largest waste incineration plants in the country finally shut its doors for good. Read how a facility that exceeded pollution emissions standards more than 750 times can be considered a “climate solution” by policymakers in 23 states – and what to do about it.