Economy

Earth Day this year heralds several firsts for clean energy, despite fossil fuss

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By David Callaway, Callaway Climate Insights

(David Callaway is founder and Editor-in-Chief of Callaway Climate Insights. He is the former president of the World Editors Forum, Editor-in-Chief of USA Today and MarketWatch, and CEO of TheStreet Inc.)

The 52nd Earth Day this coming Friday, April 22, arrives at a time of great crisis for the environmental agenda, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine causing the greatest rush to produce more oil, gas and coal than at any time since the first Earth Day in 1970.

Still, as Europe readies a ban on Russian oil and U.S. political supporters of fossil fuel companies dig in against pension advisers and asset managers trying to push a transition to clean energy, there are several advances worth noting.

For example, last month for the first time, the U.S. produced and used more energy one day from wind turbines than from coal or nuclear power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And just two weeks ago, California’s main electric grid ran on almost 100% renewable electricity for one minute, according to local energy authorities.

These may seem like minor victories, but they are the beginning of something we’ll start to hear a lot more about in coming months. . . .

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