“There is no likely way the entire United States can run on renewable energy.” Pretty much the thesis of any climate change/global warming naysayer. Until I learned more about innovations for renewable energy and the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, I didn’t have hope for the USA to run on renewable energy either, particularly with the politics involved.

Concerning renewable energy at the national level, the EPA’s Clean Power Plan is important to support simply because it is the government’s most influential step towards stopping climate change. But in order for the EPA’s plan to work, this country needs to hold our government accountable for follow-through on protecting our planet’s environment, regardless of political naysayers. Our government can help the people and the people can help the government keep all of our priorities straight. Even if climate change wasn’t real, shouldn’t we still do everything we could do to save our beautiful planet if there was even the slightest threat? We have become creatures of convenience and narcissism, not caring if the foam cup we throw out the window decomposes or not, not caring if California completely dries up, not caring if we get ice age-like winters and heat-stroke summers in the same place.

Once we destroy all life on this planet, we don’t even deserve to get to go to another planet to live. We need to start caring. The EPA’s Clean Power Plan is the nation’s first step towards the action we need to take, not just for our planet, but for ourselves.

Sierra Reed
Yarmouth