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Halfway Between Kyoto and 2050

This essay evaluates past carbon emission reduction and the feasibility of eliminating fossil fuels to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050. Despite international agreements, government spending and regulations, and technological advancements, global fossil fuel consumption surged by 55 percent between 1997 and 2023. And the share of fossil fuels in global energy consumption has only decreased …

Consol Energy aims to be a leading force in slowing the shift to renewable energy

Pacing is a multifaceted theme at Consol Energy Inc., a 160-year-old coal mining company with its headquarters in the oil and gas mecca of Southpointe in Washington County. At the entrance to the mine’s portal in Prosperity is the first of many “Not So Fast” signs. A perfectly reasonable interpretation of the sign’s message is …

Breathe a Little Easier: Why America’s Air is Among the Cleanest in the World

Breathe a Little Easier is part of our ongoing effort to explain the role that energy has played in improving human living standards over the past two centuries. This project examines trends in air quality in the U.S. in order to push back at the doom-and-gloom narratives that dominate so much of our thinking about energy …

The advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy

New developments in renewable energy are making headlines worldwide, from a remote Arctic village working to harness solar and wind power under challenging conditions to a U.S. Air Force base planning an advanced, utility-scale geothermal power system. But for all of the advantages of renewable energy, its development and use has disadvantages, too. Let’s take …

As Renewable Energy Increases in the Generation Mix, Power Outages Grow

Texas and California lead the nation in power outages and in wind and solar generation. Since 2019, there have been 263 power outages across Texas–more than any other state–each lasting an average of 160 minutes and impacting an estimated average of 172,000 Texans. From 2019 to 2023, California had 221 power outages, ranking second, and …

Keep America’s economy humming with baseload power

There is a common sentiment among the chattering class that energy made from solar panels and windmills is good and energy generated by fossil fuels is bad. The Biden administration‘s Environmental Protection Agency is “playing nature,” using its regulatory power to force the shutdown of coal and natural gas plants and replace them with renewables. …