Karuna Ang / Greenpeace
“400 ppm” is buzzing in the air like the impending ruckus of cicadas.
The immediate reaction to the news that the amount of atmospheric carbon surpassed the dreaded 400 parts per million milestone is to hang your head and sigh. (It’s okay if you’ve done that. I did too). It feels like you’re still running when the race is already over.
We can’t give up. In fact, now’s the time to work harder and faster. The environmental movement is bigger and stronger than it’s ever been, and the planet just lit a fire under us.
We’ve got evidence that the energy revolution is upon us and charging ahead. Here are some very real, very effective facts that you can swallow with every mention of “400 ppm” this weekend.
1.51 percent of all new power plants built worldwide in 2012 were renewables.
2. Google plans to build an offshore wind “superhighway” that willsupply 1.9 million households.
3.US built almost 14,000 megawatts of new wind power in 2012 = to 20 average coal power plants.
4.China increased wind power production more than coal power for the first time ever in 2012.
5.Renewable energy companies now employ about 5 million people worldwide.
6. In just 5 years, renewables connected to Portugal’s electric grid leapt to45% from 15%.
