State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

fossil fuels3

  • How Much Do Renewables Actually Depend on Tax Breaks?

    How Much Do Renewables Actually Depend on Tax Breaks?

    The shift to renewable energy is key to combating climate change and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. But critics argue it won’t be possible without financial support from the government. How important are special tax breaks and other subsides, and do they really work?

  • Trump’s Energy Dominance and the Future of Fossil Fuels

    Trump’s Energy Dominance and the Future of Fossil Fuels

    We have a presidency and an energy policy that is seeking to achieve fossil fuel dominance at the very moment that the rest of the world is desperately working to replace those fuels with renewable alternatives.

  • What it Will Take to Decarbonize the Economy

    What it Will Take to Decarbonize the Economy

    The transition to a renewable resource-based economy will be a massive and complex endeavor and its difficulty should not be underestimated. The transition depends on five key components.

  • Can Fossil Fuel Companies Be Held Liable For Climate Change?

    Can Fossil Fuel Companies Be Held Liable For Climate Change?

    Like Big Tobacco, fossil fuel companies have knowingly sold a product that causes harm while covering up and distorting the truth. Can they be sued for climate-related damages?

  • Why Renewable Energy Will Replace Fossil Fuels

    Why Renewable Energy Will Replace Fossil Fuels

    Renewable energy will displace fossil fuels when (not if) it becomes as reliable, cheaper, and more convenient. The polls indicate that the latent market for renewables in already in place, with young Americans strongly supporting a transition away from fossil fuels.

  • Trump’s Attack on Renewable Energy

    Trump’s Attack on Renewable Energy

    The companies that develop cheaper and more reliable renewable energy and energy storage technologies will drive fossil fuel companies from the marketplace. Since Trump’s team won’t help, let’s convince them to end their attack on renewable energy and stay out of the way of the change that is on the way.

  • Trump’s Relevance on Climate Change

    Trump’s Relevance on Climate Change

    While Fortune 500 companies, our state and local governments, and foreign countries are all beginning the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the current U.S. federal government refuses to see the danger of climate change or the economic opportunities presented by modernizing our energy system.

  • The Science of Carbon Dioxide and Climate

    The Science of Carbon Dioxide and Climate

    The vast majority of scientists around the world agree that our climate is changing at a faster rate than ever recorded in human history because of our use of fuels such as coal and oil, so-called fossil fuels. The conclusion rests on basic physics known since the early 1800s, when physical scientists first recognized that…

  • Will China Take the Green Mantle From the U.S.?

    Will China Take the Green Mantle From the U.S.?

    While President Trump has promised to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord, China’s President Xi Jinxing has vowed to continue to tackle climate change and honor his country’s obligations. Will China become the global leader in combating climate change?

  • How Much Do Renewables Actually Depend on Tax Breaks?

    How Much Do Renewables Actually Depend on Tax Breaks?

    The shift to renewable energy is key to combating climate change and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. But critics argue it won’t be possible without financial support from the government. How important are special tax breaks and other subsides, and do they really work?

  • Trump’s Energy Dominance and the Future of Fossil Fuels

    Trump’s Energy Dominance and the Future of Fossil Fuels

    We have a presidency and an energy policy that is seeking to achieve fossil fuel dominance at the very moment that the rest of the world is desperately working to replace those fuels with renewable alternatives.

  • What it Will Take to Decarbonize the Economy

    What it Will Take to Decarbonize the Economy

    The transition to a renewable resource-based economy will be a massive and complex endeavor and its difficulty should not be underestimated. The transition depends on five key components.

  • Can Fossil Fuel Companies Be Held Liable For Climate Change?

    Can Fossil Fuel Companies Be Held Liable For Climate Change?

    Like Big Tobacco, fossil fuel companies have knowingly sold a product that causes harm while covering up and distorting the truth. Can they be sued for climate-related damages?

  • Why Renewable Energy Will Replace Fossil Fuels

    Why Renewable Energy Will Replace Fossil Fuels

    Renewable energy will displace fossil fuels when (not if) it becomes as reliable, cheaper, and more convenient. The polls indicate that the latent market for renewables in already in place, with young Americans strongly supporting a transition away from fossil fuels.

  • Trump’s Attack on Renewable Energy

    Trump’s Attack on Renewable Energy

    The companies that develop cheaper and more reliable renewable energy and energy storage technologies will drive fossil fuel companies from the marketplace. Since Trump’s team won’t help, let’s convince them to end their attack on renewable energy and stay out of the way of the change that is on the way.

  • Trump’s Relevance on Climate Change

    Trump’s Relevance on Climate Change

    While Fortune 500 companies, our state and local governments, and foreign countries are all beginning the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the current U.S. federal government refuses to see the danger of climate change or the economic opportunities presented by modernizing our energy system.

  • The Science of Carbon Dioxide and Climate

    The Science of Carbon Dioxide and Climate

    The vast majority of scientists around the world agree that our climate is changing at a faster rate than ever recorded in human history because of our use of fuels such as coal and oil, so-called fossil fuels. The conclusion rests on basic physics known since the early 1800s, when physical scientists first recognized that…

  • Will China Take the Green Mantle From the U.S.?

    Will China Take the Green Mantle From the U.S.?

    While President Trump has promised to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord, China’s President Xi Jinxing has vowed to continue to tackle climate change and honor his country’s obligations. Will China become the global leader in combating climate change?