Energy Today

We believe most people do care about energy scarcity and the human suffering it creates. However, because it is a macro-scale problem, decades in the making, it’s hard to see the whole picture.

But we need to start looking. The basic facts are:

• Massive population growth continues, especially in the developing world
• The developing world has 50% of the world’s population, but uses only 4% of its energy
• As these nations industrialize, they are following the American pattern of energy-intensive lifestyles and fossil fuel dependence
• Resources are already scarce with these populations only beginning to expand their needs
• This puts us on a collision course with profound social, political and human repercussions

Energy usage is increasing in virtually every nation on Earth. However, the rate of increase is much faster in developing nations, and they are just now beginning to surpass developed nations in terms of their energy usage. This trend will only increase in the future. We need to ensure that global solutions exist to provide them with power, or we may soon face one of the darkest periods of human history.

But we can point the way to a better solution. These nations can "leapfrog" over our Industrial Revolution and move straight to a renewable energy future. They aren’t yet tied to an expensive and antiquated national grid. They can move straight to local generation, local storage, and community based power generation. This will require new technologies and innovations, but it can be achieved. This is our best hope for a future without resource wars, human suffering and poverty.

Many people don't realize the effect that energy has on other areas of our lives. Nobel Prize winner Richard Smalley demonstrated that of the ten most major challenges facing humanity, more than half of them can be resolved if we solve the energy crisis.

The Top Ten Problems Facing Humanity in the 21st Century:

• Energy
• Water
• Food
• Environment
• Poverty
• Terrorism and War
• Disease
• Education
• Democracy
• Population

Solve the Energy Problem, and We Also Solve Five More:

• Energy
• Water
• Food
• Environment
• Poverty
• Terrorism and War
• Disease
• Education
• Democracy
• Population

» Learn how renewable energy makes this possible

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