Our Renewable Future Press Release

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Jaime Jennings, 202-232-7933 x44 jjennings@islandpress.org Katharine Sucher, 202-232-7933 x43 ksucher@islandpress.org

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Our Renewable Future Laying the Path for One Hundred Percent Clean Energy

By Richard Heinberg and David Fridley Washington, DC (May 25, 2016) – Around the world, renewable energy is making headlines: last month, clean energy supplied almost all of Germany’s power demand for one day, while Portugal ran entirely on renewable energy for 107 hours straight. To prevent catastrophic climate change we need to transition to a renewable world—but how will this look and feel, and how do we get there? In Our Renewable Future: Laying the Path for One Hundred Percent Clean Energy (Publication Date: June 2, 2016), energy expert Richard Heinberg and scientist David Fridley, both Fellows of the Post Carbon Institute, pose these provocative questions, and explore how our lives are likely to change as we transition away from oil, coal, and natural gas to rely primarily on solar, wind, hydropower, and other forms of renewable energy.

If nations follow through on their pledges to limit global warming, and if the financial and environmental costs of fossil fuels and nuclear energy continue to rise, then by the end of the century—if not sooner—our world will be running on renewable energy. But a clean energy future cannot happen by simply adding more solar panels and wind turbines. In the same way that our current “normal” is fundamentally different from that of the preindustrial world, we must reimagine our future at a profound level, and adapt our energy usage as dramatically as we adapt our energy sources. Our Renewable Future prepares us for this rapid transition with a thoughtful look at the historical trends and current state of energy technologies, and policies from around the world, including Spain, Germany, China, Brazil, and the United States.

Heinberg and Fridley begin with a comprehensive overview of global energy systems, surveying issues of energy supply and demand in key sectors of the economy such as electricity generation, transportation, buildings, and manufacturing. In their detailed review of each sector, the authors

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examine the most crucial challenges we face, from intermittency in fuel sources to energy storage and grid redesign. Heinberg and Fridley also address the social challenges of shifting to renewables.

They argue that pursuing renewable energy without addressing issues of equity could lead to wealthy nations enjoying self-sustained systems while poorer regions become “starved of fuel.” The book concludes with steps towards a renewable and equitable future that can be applied at the individual, community, and national levels.

A clean energy future may come sooner than we think. Our Renewable Future is a clear-eyed and urgent guide that and will be a crucial resource for policymakers and energy activists alike.

Richard Heinberg is one of the world’s foremost educators on the need to transition society off fossil fuels.

Since 2002 he has championed this message to public, government, and business audiences around the world. His appearances on radio and television include Good Morning America (ABC), NPR’s Morning Edition, and the documentary film 11th Hour. Richard’s list of previous books includes The Party’s Over and The End of Growth. Richard is Senior Fellow-in-Residence of the Post Carbon Institute, a recipient of the Atlas Award for climate heroes (2012), and a recipient of the M. King Hubbert Award for Excellence in Energy Education (2006).

David Fridley is a Staff Scientist in the China Energy Group of the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. David’s work has involved extensive collaboration with China on end-use energy efficiency, end-use energy modeling, industrial energy use, government energy management programs, data compilation and analysis, medium and long term energy policy research, lowcarbon city development, and conventional and alternative energy supply assessment. David is currently a Fellow with the Post Carbon Institute and has continued his research interest in the energy and ecological science of biofuels and other alternative energy forms.

Our Renewable Future: Laying the Path for One Hundred Percent Clean Energy Island Press Paperback Original Publication Date: June 2, 2016 216 pages | Price: $25.00 Paperback | $24.99 E-Book ISBN: 978-1-61091-779-7 | 978-1-61091-780-3 http://www.islandpress.org/book/our-renewable-future Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 1,000 titles in print and some 40 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice. Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org.

The Post Carbon Institute envisions a transition to a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable world. It provides individuals and communities with the resources needed to understand and respond to the interrelated ecological, economic, energy, and equity crises of the twenty-first century. Visit postcarbon.org for a full list of fellows, publications, and other educational products.

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