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According to Greenpeace’s newest Energy [R]evolution report, the energy sector could be powered entirely by 100% renewable energy by 2050.
The predictions have been issued following a collaboration with the Institute of Engineering Thermodynamicss, Systems Analysis & Technology Assessment, at the German Aerospace Center.
“The phase out of fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy is not only needed, but can be achieved globally by mid-century”, declared Greenpeace USA Climate and Energy Campaign Director Kelly Mitchell.
According to the environmental organization, eventually the world would move from extraction of coal, oil and gas to sources of clean energy, such as wind power and solar power. Such a fundamental shift would be imperative by 2020, in order to curb the consequences of climate change.
The most important renewable energy would be electricity, not just for regular purposes, but also for generating synthetic fuels that would eventually substitute non-renewable fossil fuels.
Electricity would be generated especially through wind power, which would become the primary source of electric current by 2050, producing 30% of the total supply.
Another prediction issued by Greenpeace was that in 15 years up to 9.7 million people could be employed in the solar power industry. That would would represent a tenfold increase from the 2015 ratio of workers, and would also equal the number of people that are currently hired by the coal sector.
Such figures may seem high at first, but it must be noted that the United States already employes twice as many people in the solar energy system as in coal mines.
The organization also provided guidelines for maintaining cumulative carbon emissions within the 1,000 gigatonne limit recommended by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Greenpeace actually suggested that the effect of our man-made activities on global warming could be kept at about 667 gigatonnes, by 2050.
For example, in countries where the renewable sector is booming, such as Brazil, India or China, carbon dioxide emissions might be reduced by a third.
Obviously, the additional cost for undertaking such efforts would be significant, at around $US 1 trillion per year, however the savings would be even more substantial, at approximately $1,07 trillion per year. As the transition moves forward, the investment would be recovered by 2025-2030, since renewable energy sources of energy don’t require fuel.
Greenpeace has been consistently producing reports that accurately predicted the ascension of renewable energy, ever since 2005. On the other hand, this upward trend has been grossly underestimated by the US Department of Energy, by the International Energy Agency and by global investment group Goldman Sachs.
Therefore, it appears that these new forecasts may once again be proven reliable, although initially they may seem overly idealistic.
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