Skip navigation.
View over Dan Nan wind farm in Nan'ao, China. This province has the 
best wind resources in China and is already home to several industrial 
scale wind farms. China is investing heavily in wind power to meet its 
growing energy needs.

Developing countries like China have an opportunity to embrace the clean energy revolution.

Enlarge image

Tackling dangerous climate change is the biggest challenge we face today. Luckily, there is an answer to the challenge. A new Greenpeace report, Energy [R]evolution, details how to halve the world's CO2 emissions by 2050, using existing technology and still providing affordable energy and economic growth.

The Energy [R]evolution report is about a revolution in energy policy and an evolution in how we use energy. It's a road map for providing power for everyone without fuelling climate change.

We don't need to freeze in the dark. We don't need to build nuclear power plants. We don't need to cripple economic growth. We can make a safe and sustainable world energy scenario a reality.

What's in the Energy [R]evolution report:

       
We can have reliable renewable energy and use energy more smartly to achieve the cuts in carbon emissions required to prevent dangerous climate change. Crucially, this can be done while phasing out damaging and dangerous coal and nuclear energy.

"Future solutions would lie in the use of existing renewable energy technologies, greater efforts at energy efficiency and the dissemination of decentralised energy technologies and options."

Dr RK Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in his foreword to the Energy [R]evolution report.

Sven Teske, our energy expert who took a leading role in producing the report, says, "Renewable energies are competitive if governments phase out subsidies for fossil and nuclear fuels and introduce the 'polluter-pays principle'. We urge politicians to ban those subsidies by 2010."

The Energy [R]evolution report also details how large developing countries like India, China and Brazil can develop and grow using renewable energy to avoid the mistakes of old climate-changing energy economies of developed countries.

The Energy Revolution is not just our vision for the future. It was written with the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and in conjunction with specialists from the German Space Agency and more than 30 scientists and engineers from universities, institutes and the renewable energy industry around the world.

Revolution in energy policy


It is clear that current 'business as usual' approach to energy supply cannot continue. However the longer we delay making significant change, the tougher those changes will need to be. In the next three years, major energy investment will be made in countries around the world. We have the opportunity to say farewell to old, polluting energy sources and to welcome in a new, more efficient and conflict-free energy future.

Catherine Fitzpatrick, Greenpeace energy campaigner, says, "The only obstacle to Australia being fully powered by clean green energy is the lack of political will. We have a renewable energy industry waiting to compete fairly against a heavily subsidised coal industry. As new environment minister, it's Malcolm Turnbull's challenge to implement such a blueprint to tackle the drought and bushfires caused by climate change."

Politicians need to grasp this chance with both hands or be the ones whose negligence helped ensure dangerous climate change to be inevitable. You can help ensure a change by voting for politicians who support the Energy [R]evolution.

Evolution in energy use


Governments and industry need to drive a massive change in the way energy is produced.We individuals also have to drive a massive change in the way we use energy. Using energy smartly can double energy efficiency by 2050. With a few simple steps, every one of us can do our bit.