How 139 countries can reach 100% renewable energy soon – all charts available at ► http://thesolutionsproject.org/resource/139-country-100-infographics/
Below are some reasons for buying your next car electric, installing solar panels and supporting 100% renewable energy in all nations (via carbon price for example):
1. help humanity survive since absorbed CO2 leads to ocean acidification which kills plankton. Plankton generates 50-80% of oxygen we breathe, so without oxygen we will die ► https://plus.google.com/+AlexP/posts/gwKRRDiX3nc.
2. help humanity since elevated CO2 levels were shown to impair brain performance of all future humans ► http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/10/26/3714853/carbon-dioxide-impair-brain. Today in offices with high CO2 levels (like we will have if no action is taken), people's brain performance decreases.
3. Help humanity as you no longer generate carcinogenic exhaust, otherwise known as smog, which kills millions of people each year ► http://goo.gl/jDj0hI and leads to lower IQ ► http://goo.gl/alNQIk and autism ► http://goo.gl/66nqwr. Also, note that http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2007/08/pollution-causes-40-percent-deaths-worldwide-study-finds explains that 40% of deaths due to pollution. Smog kills billions earlier than their normal time. Coal fired plants generate most human emissions of mercury and arsenic in the air.
4. save lives since you reduce heart attacks caused by traffic noise ► http://goo.gl/Fuhvn. Electric cars are much quieter.
5. save humanity from oil wars that destroy the environment and kill countless civilians. Iraq war trillions could have powered all US with solar/wind ► http://goo.gl/ZqN47.
6. you no longer have to change oil (because there is no oil to change) or spark plugs; no more smog check either; electric cars have 60% less parts, so you will go for repairs much less. Combustion engines are noisy and only 15% efficient; electric motors are 90% efficient.
7. reduce heat and AC costs, because electric cars produce 5 times less heat than combustion engine cars per mile, reducing the heat-island effect in cities ► http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/150319/srep09213/full/srep09213.html
8. bring the end of gas stations that poison the water wells with MTBE or other compounds leading to billions of dollars wasted in cleaning up the well water (example: $0.4 billion settlement ► http://goo.gl/eKasZD)
9. save money as you spend 4-8 times less money on "fuel" depending what area of the globe at the current low prices of oil. If you have enough solar panels, you get free CLEAN fuel for life, since you charge at home and utilities pay you for energy you put on the grid. Likewise, Tesla Motors offers free solar ☼ charging for life ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgk5-eB9oTY?
10. save money for noble purposes because electric cars are cheaper than many oil cars after the federal and state rebates: in Colorado, you can buy a Nissan Leaf for only 15, 000, while in most other states for 18-21, 000. A Smart EV costs only $12, 000 in Colorado, see http://smartusa.com. Mitsubishi i-MieV is only $13, 000 in California and $10, 000 in Colorado ► http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?rssid=31881.
11. Save money since it is cheaper to buy solar panels over 5-12 years than to pay the electric bill without panels – so you save MONEY and the environment – just choose the best deal, they got 12 year loans for 2-3% interest rate – plus after 12 years you get free electricity for the next 30 years or longer if panels last 50 years.
12. Electric car batteries and solar panels are far greener than alternatives. Battery recycling for today's oil car lead batteries is happening at a 97% rate globally. It will be even better for the far safer lithium car batteries. Lithium Ion batteries are classified by the federal government as non-hazardous waste. Lithium ion batteries are made from nontoxic lithium carbonate (used in ovenware), nontoxic cobalt oxide (in pottery glaze), nontoxic graphite (in pencils), and a polymer (plastic) membrane. The most toxic components are the electrolyte and lithium cobalt oxide, neither of which are persistent in the environment and both of which are increasingly being replaced by safer compounds. Wang Chuan-Fu, CEO of BYD, demonstrated the safety of the electrolyte in their lithium ion batteries by drinking it. Zero Motorcycles founder Neal Saiki said that the Lithium Ion batteries they use are safe to eat.
Solar is way better than coal, oil or natural gas which spew 100-1000 times more carcinogens in the environment per unit of energy produced, besides far more CO2. How long does a solar panel system have to operate to recover the energy used for making the panel? Energy payback for rooftop panels is 1-4 years depending on type. Assuming a life of 30 years for a panel, that means that most energy produced will be free from pollution of any sort ► http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/35489.pdf.
13. save time, thus money, since you are allowed to use the carpool lanes to avoid traffic if you drive an electric car, in many countries, even if there is only 1 person in the car.
14. Natural gas and Coal can be replaced with solar-wind immediately:) as a public health priority, especially since they are cheaper in many areas than fossil fuels and storage eliminates the need for sun-wind 24-7 ► http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjNKz8qXRmk. In China's worst areas, smog makes people live only 4 decades ► http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1DNjJd2YfA. Coal-fired plants lead to birth defects in China, see the 2 min video ► http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wImJC6xEoU. In all nations, including USA, people near coal-fired plants often die of cancer at 45 or so, see the 10 min video ► http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZWAQ_3yoj8. Coal pollution leads to cancer, asthma, autism (mercury), etc. Clean coal doesn't exist ► http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l0iqdfFyC0.
15. Germany increased its solar capacity 16000 times between 1990 and 2012 ► https://plus.google.com/110265788529286523789/posts/2K5Ln8zyrqH. It's possible. In 2014, Denmark generated 39% electricity from wind ► https://plus.google.com/110265788529286523789/posts/1FraSFPpWBv. For comparison, the current renewables percentage in the US is 17%, India & China 15%, Germany 31%, Paraguay & Norway & Lesotho & Bhutan 100% (hydro), All Africa 32% (hydro), Japan 11%, Russia 15% (hydro), Mexico 26%, Indonesia & UK 19%, Canada 60% (hydro), Portugal 60% (hydro+wind), Brazil 90% (hydro), Iceland 100% (hydro+geothermal), Ghana 75% (hydro), Spain 45% (wind-solar-hydro), New Zealand 80% (hydro+geoth+wind).
The idea of hitting 100% renewable energy (yes, energy, not just electricity) scares a lot of people. That is, a lot of people don’t think their cities or countries can achieve 100% renewable energy. However, a leading energy researcher at Stanford has led teams of researchers in order to practically show how 139 different countries
