Aug 20, 2013

FACT: In 1971 more energy came from renewables than in 2011

The Decline of Renewable Energy. By Bjørn Lomborg

Excerpt: Many today believe that renewable energy will let us get off fossil fuels soon. Unfortunately, the facts say otherwise. According to International Energy Agency data, 13.12% of the world's energy came from renewables in 1971, the first year that the IEA reported global statistics. In 2011, renewables' share was actually lower, at 12.99%. … Burning wood in pre-industrial Western Europe caused massive deforestation, as is occurring in much of the developing world today. The indoor air pollution that biomass produces kills more than three million people annually.

Read on at: http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-falling-share-of-renewables-in-global-energy-production-by-bj-rn-lomborg