We don’t have air conditioning in our house. So on sweltering summer days we close the windows, draw the shades to block the sun, and crank up the dehumidifier. Once the evening air temperature drops below the house temperature, windows are opened wide and the coolness flows in.
One recent evening Karen asked if it was time to open the windows. After glancing at the weather station temp display, something inspired this odd reply, “Go ahead, we’ve crossed the equator.” I meant that we had crossed that point where we could look forward to a cooler time ahead.
Later, I pondered that odd response. Maybe reaching that temperature “tipping point” in our house made me think about crossing into a new hemisphere where many things “flip” in interesting ways. Storms circulate clockwise instead of counterclockwise. Colder weather is in the south instead of the north. Summer is winter, and winter is summer. Penguins reign where no polar bears roam.
“Crossing the equator” - it’s what our ship of humanity is doing in the energy sector. The inevitable flip to clean energy is already well under way. The evidence is over-whelming. Take a look!
- Cheaper Energy Sources – In the last dozen years, utility scale solar power costs have dropped close to 90%! In Wisconsin and elsewhere, it’s now the LEAST expensive source for electrical generation.
- Bi-Partisan Involvement – A recent Wisconsin State Journal editorial applauded Wis. Congressmen Ron Kind (D) and Mike Gallagher (R) for joining the 86-member Climate Solutions Caucus. By design, this caucus is composed equally of Dems and Repubs. Together, they are researching cost-effective ways to increase renewables and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Bottom-Up Leadership - States, counties, and municipalities in the U.S. are sometimes known as the “Non-Federal Actors.” If you add together the GDPs of those that are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it represents the THIRD LARGEST economy in the world. With or without federal leadership we’re sailing toward a new energy reality.
- Ahead of Schedule – California recently announced it has met its emission reduction goals 4 years early!
Iowa County may soon be helping accelerate our journey “across the equator” with the installation of the largest solar farm east of the Mississippi. That cleaner, cooler future is a destination we must reach because where else would we live? This is our only home. It’s where we’re forever…Earthbound.