Article published in the Ode Magazine (Special Copenhagen Edition), December 12, 2009

To unlock the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy, dismantle the conventional power industry!

Humanity stands on the threshold of an era of unprecedented opportunities. In the past decades, many innovative new technologies have become available and affordable that can transform our current economies based on polluting fossil fuels into sustainable renewable energy economies. This transformation will provide millions of new jobs. It will halt global warming. It will create a more fair and just world. It will clean our environment and make our lives healthier. However, for all this positive change to happen, we don’t need an international climate treaty. We don’t need a Copenhagen Protocol, just like we didn’t need a Kyoto Protocol. In fact, these international attempts stand in the way of the progress almost all of us need.

Article published in the Climate Action Book 2009 for the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, December 2009

Among the many myths about our energy supplies, one of the most insidious is the high price of renewables. If all energy alternatives are too expensive, the argument runs, then the world should continue on its course of dependence on fossil-based sources. In this article Hermann Scheer debunks this myth and explains why we must keep developing the renwables, describing how each affected industry can make the most of the new opportunities.