{"id":6328,"date":"2023-03-29T10:11:42","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T08:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/?p=6328"},"modified":"2023-03-29T10:11:42","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T08:11:42","slug":"were-standing-at-a-crucial-crossroads-in-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/were-standing-at-a-crucial-crossroads-in-history\/","title":{"rendered":"We&#8217;re standing at a crucial crossroads in history"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The TED Talk below highlights how we live in a world where our energy system is overwhelmingly dependent on burning fossil fuels and asks: What are the viable pathways to a clean and safe future, and how do we collectively navigate this transition?<\/p>\n<p>While the need to get off fossil fuels is straightforward and urgent, the pathway to doing it equitably is anything but.<\/p>\n<p>Today, more than 80 percent of modern energy comes from burning fossil fuels. That means more than 40 billion metric tons, that&#8217;s 40 gigatons, of CO2 gets dumped in the air each year. And that number is growing.<\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 854px;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position: absolute; left: 0; top: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.ted.com\/talks\/lang\/en\/ted_countdown_how_do_we_get_the_world_off_fossil_fuels_quickly_and_fairly\" width=\"854\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>We have got to find a way of leaving the vast majority of coal, oil and gas in the ground, even if it is in someone&#8217;s interest to dig it or drill it up. So what should we do?<\/p>\n<p>In one area, the answer is clear. Renewable is now a cheaper way to produce electricity than coal in almost all countries of the world, so we should build no more coal electricity plants, no more coal mines. And we should not invest anything in the extension of existing coal mines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The TED Talk below highlights how we live in a world where our energy system is overwhelmingly dependent on burning fossil fuels and asks: What are the viable pathways to a clean and safe future, and how do we collectively navigate this transition? While the need to get off fossil fuels is straightforward and urgent, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6328","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-solar","8":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Eskom_Candle_Power-300x200.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Eskom_Candle_Power-300x200.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Alan","author_link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/author\/alan\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Eskom_Candle_Power-300x200.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5HvVd-1E4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1763,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/the-era-of-ever-expanding-demand-for-fossil-fuels-comes-to-an-end\/","url_meta":{"origin":6328,"position":0},"title":"The era of ever-expanding demand for fossil fuels comes to an end","author":"Alan","date":"15 June 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The way we get electricity is about to change dramatically, as the era of ever-expanding demand for fossil fuels comes to an end - in less than a decade. That's according to a new forecast by Bloomberg New Energy Finance that plots out global power markets for the next 25\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1296,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/how-africa-could-leapfrog-fossil-fuels-to-clean-energy-alternatives\/","url_meta":{"origin":6328,"position":1},"title":"How Africa could leapfrog fossil fuels to clean energy alternatives","author":"Alan","date":"23 April 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Across Africa the potential is ripe for a clean energy revolution that upsets and leapfrogs the old fossil-fuel order. ReutersRevolutions are, as a rule, rare and momentous processes. But across the African continent the potential is ripe for a clean energy revolution that upsets and leapfrogs the old fossil-fuel order.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/image-20160301-8047-dj418c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1395,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/phasing-out-fossil-fuels-for-renewables-may-not-be-a-straightforward-swap\/","url_meta":{"origin":6328,"position":2},"title":"Phasing out fossil fuels for renewables may not be a straightforward swap","author":"Alan","date":"3 May 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite the benefits of going renewable, it may be harder to get there than we thought. Indigo Skies Photography\/Flickr, CC BY-NC-NDTo have any chance of preventing dangerous climate change, the world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero or even negative by mid-century. Many experts suggest this means\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/image-20160429-28053-1l2fefe.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":75,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/talk-like-a-solar-power-expert\/","url_meta":{"origin":6328,"position":3},"title":"Talk Like a Solar Power Expert","author":"Alan","date":"16 December 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Some abbreviations and definitions: AC: Abbreviation for \u201calternating current\u201d. Batteries: A battery is an electrochemical storage device that can release previously stored chemical energy as electrical energy. DC: Abbreviation for \u201cdirect current\u201d. Feed-in: As opposed to \u201cconsumption\u201d, feeding in (to the grid) allows to reverse the electricity consumption meter when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1899,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/the-next-solar-revolution-could-replace-fossil-fuels-in-mining\/","url_meta":{"origin":6328,"position":4},"title":"The next solar revolution could replace fossil fuels in mining","author":"Alan","date":"1 July 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Solar thermal technology uses the sun's heat to generate electricity, or heating. Beyond Coal & Gas Image Library\/Flickr, CC BY-NCRecently Sandfire Resources, a gold and copper producer based in Western Australia, announced its new solar power plant will soon start powering its DeGrussa mine. By replacing diesel power, the 10-megawatt\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/image-20160627-28362-g56jdi.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1461,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/the-tesla-battery-heralds-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-fossil-fuels\/","url_meta":{"origin":6328,"position":5},"title":"The Tesla battery heralds the beginning of the end for fossil fuels","author":"Alan","date":"12 May 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Amid the fanfare over the launch of the Powerwall, has Tesla's Elon Musk struck a decisive blow for renewable energy? YouTube\/Tesla MotorsWind and solar power have made great strides in recent years, accounting for 56% of net additions to global power capacity in 2013.* What holds them back is their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/image-20150505-8397-1adjk13.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6328"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6329,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6328\/revisions\/6329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}