Black Friday has become one of the most recognizable consumption events of the year. In the U.S. it falls straight after a major holiday, Thanksgiving, and has almost become part of the celebrations. But the flood of promotions and rapid-fire sales can feel overwhelming, especially at a time when many households face financial and emotional strain. 

Amid this rush, Buy Nothing Day offers a pause. It invites reflection on what is really valuable and asks us to take into consideration the environmental cost of our rampant buying. For example, as of 2020,  the global fashion and retail sectors accounted for roughly 10 percent of global carbon emissions and in 2019 alone the fashion industry produced nearly 92 million tons of textile waste.

A lot of this is driven by Black Friday and holiday shopping in general amplifies a variety of negative environmental effects, not just through the need for increased manufacturing, and use of resources and energy but also through the waste created by packaging, often plastic, and the greenhouse gas emissions caused by freight and shipping. 

In 2022, e-commerce produced an estimated 3.88 billion pounds of plastic packaging waste worldwide that will persist for centuries. Every item we purchase carries emissions tied to extraction, manufacturing, and transport. e

Buy Nothing Day reminds us that celebrations don’t require high spending or shopping stress  —  they can begin with small, intentional actions that support personal well-being and the health of the planet. Here are a few gentle, accessible ways individuals and families can honor the season and the planet.

Begin with Stillness

In a season dominated by constant notifications and advertising, nature offers a counterbalance — a reminder that the natural world moves at a slower and steadier pace. So reconnect with the outdoors. Even a five-minute walk lowers stress, supports cardiovascular health, and brings your attention back to something grounding. Observing seasonal changes helps reconnect you to nature – a connection often is lost in the rush of the holidays.

As you walk, notice the sound of the wind, the crunch of leaves or the rhythm of your neighborhood. These details will deepen your awareness of your surroundings. When we pay attention to the world and community around you, it becomes easier to make choices that support your overall well-being and the planet’s too. Presence in nature naturally fosters stewardship.

Inviting a friend or family member can turn this simple act into a community experience. Sharing time outside builds relationships without spending and offers a meaningful alternative to shopping. In that shared slowness, you create space for connection, setting a tone of intention that can carry through the season.

Care Through Re-Loving

Some of the most climate-friendly actions are also the most affordable and accessible. Extending the lifespan of items we already own naturally reduces demands on resources like water and energy. For example, keeping clothing in circulation for just nine additional months will lower its carbon, water and waste footprint by around 20 percent. 

Re-loving what we own also reshapes our relationship with material goods. Mending a sweater or polishing shoes becomes a practice of stewardship, honoring the resources and labor that went into their creation. This shift encourages gratitude and re-centers attention on appreciation instead of accumulation.

Repair rituals also slow us down. They invite patience and focus, creating a sense of calm in a season that often encourages urgency. These everyday acts show that sustainability doesn’t need to be dramatic or costly — it can be quiet, intentional, and transformative.

Create From What You Already Have

Green living isn’t only about restraint; it can be deeply creative. Buy Nothing Day encourages projects that use existing materials, reminding us that innovation thrives on simplicity. Repurposing jars into candles, turning saved paper into cards, or cooking a shared meal from pantry staples all reduce waste and encourage resourcefulness.

Creativity with what’s on hand challenges the assumption that meaningful experiences require new purchases. Instead of buying craft kits or decorations, using existing materials highlights the potential already in our homes. This nurtures a mindset of sufficiency, an understanding that we often have enough.

Sharing a homemade card or crafting with others turns sustainability into something communal and fun. Whether the final product is polished or imperfect, the experience becomes a celebration all of its own.

Share Generously: Swap, Exchange, and Secondhand Giving

Gift-giving remains central to many holiday traditions, yet gifts don’t need to be new to be meaningful. Hosting a neighborhood swap for books, clothing, kitchen supplies, plants or toys extends the life of existing items and strengthens community ties. These exchanges reduce demand for new manufacturing and show how generosity and sustainability can align.

Swaps also help address a major waste challenge. In the United States, packaging and containers make up nearly one-third of municipal waste. Choosing secondhand gifts or participating in exchanges reduces this burden and promotes a culture of reuse.

Secondhand gifts carry something new items often lack: a story. A well-loved book, a thriving houseplant, or a gently used mug comes with a history and passing it forward becomes an act of connection. These gifts offer warmth that no plastic-wrapped package can replicate.

Slowing Down the Season

Amid constant invitations to buy more and move faster, rest becomes a quiet act of resistance. Moments of stillness—sharing tea, breathing intentionally, or engaging in a slow conversation—help recalibrate our rhythms away from urgency. Mindful practices reduce anxiety and strengthen emotional well-being, providing balance in an otherwise overwhelming season.

Choosing presence also reshapes our experience of holiday joy. Rather than measuring celebration by purchases or busyness, we focus on the quality of connection and the depth of each moment. Slowing down creates space for gratitude—for people, for nature, and for the fleeting moments that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The Deeper Purpose: Why Buy Nothing Day Matters

Buy Nothing Day encourages consumers to slow down — not as a rejection of joy, but as an invitation to rediscover it. Each intentional choice — repairing an item, sharing instead of buying or simply resting — creates ripples that extend beyond one weekend. 

When enough people adopt thoughtful habits, cultural expectations shift. Buy Nothing Day becomes not a restriction, but an invitation to cultivate balance and integrate joy, connection, and ecological responsibility into the season. Let this season begin with peace, one quiet, intentional act at a time.Prepping for the holidays? Here are facts that you can use to refute your climate-denying relatives. Sign up for our email list to get more articles delivered straight to your inbox.

his article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Embrace Buy Nothing Day appeared first on Earth Day.

Opinion

As Brazil hosts COP30 in Belém — a summit meant to find ways to mitigate climate change such as protecting the world’s tropical forests — it has been simultaneously accused of bulldozing parts of the Amazon to build a highway. 

The 13-kilometer (8 mile), four-lane highway, Avenida Liberdade, cuts through a protected reserve on the edge of Belém. The Brazilian state of Pará insists that the project predates Belém’s selection as host of COP30 and is not a federally project. Nevertheless, critics say the highway evidences the deeper contradiction: While world leaders gather to discuss forest protection, Brazil is apparently clearing rainforest to host them. 

The state government claims Avenida Liberdade as a model of “sustainable mobility,” complete with bike lanes, solar-powered lighting, and wildlife crossings. Yet satellite data warns that the building of Avenida will do what another Brazilian highway, BR-163, did by opening the door for capital-intensive producers, such as land speculators, cattle ranchers who raise animals for both beef and the rising collagen trade, soy growers, and miners. 

For local families who depend on the forest, this so-called development comes at a cost, such as losing access to açaí berries that once grew on the trees that once thrived here. While Amazonian Indigenous populations are at risk of losing access to the forest that supports their livelihoods, beliefs, and rituals as deforestation continues. Which is why Indigenous leaders are making their feelings known at this COP, perhaps like no other.  The highway may claim green design features, but the reality is that it is damaging ecosystems, harming Indigenous land rights and negatively impacting a more naturally focused forest economy.

The Money Tree of the Amazon

The road’s construction is more than an infrastructure story — it’s an economic blueprint. Deforestation in the Amazon is rarely accidental; it follows money. Cattle ranching and large-scale soy cultivation account for the vast majority of forest loss in Brazil, with cattle alone responsible for up to 80 percent as of 2023. 

Reporters like Elisângela Mendonça have even traced the global demand for bovine collagen — used in wellness products — to deforested lands and Amazon supply‑chains, showing how distant consumer markets are connected to the machinery of forest clearance. Her reporting uncovered that the supply‑chains for bovine collagen in Brazil were linked to at least 2,600 km² (approximately 1,000 square miles) of forest loss alone.

Roads like Avenida Liberdade are one of the classic triggers for a “fishbone” pattern of deforestation: first a main corridor, the spine, then secondary roads that branch out, the ribs, carving up the forest for profit.

Each cleared hectare represents an economic decision. Land speculation, global commodity demand, and weak environmental enforcement make forest destruction a lucrative enterprise. In Pará, these incentives are reinforced by policies that reward short-term growth over long-term stewardship. Deforestation, in essence, is a business model — one that public funds and local contracts continue to subsidize, even under the banner of sustainability.

The Tropical Forests Forever Fund: Hope or Hype?

At the same time, Brazil is positioning itself as a global leader in forest finance through its planned $125 billion Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) — the flagship announcement for COP30. The fund proposes to pay nations for keeping forests standing, blending public and private capital into a global endowment. On paper, it’s an elegant solution: a steady income stream that rewards preservation instead of destruction.

But the model’s structure reveals another layer of contradiction. Investors and national governments are first in line for returns, while Indigenous and smallholder communities — the people protecting the majority of the forest — are likely to receive the least. 

Critics warn the TFFF risks turning the rainforest into a financial asset class, commodifying conservation without addressing the industries driving deforestation. Meanwhile, Brazil’s agribusiness sector — one of the nation’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters and one of its most powerful political forces — continues to weaken environmental protections, even as Brazil rebrands itself as a climate partner.

Follow the Money

The money trail behind both the highway and the TFFF exposes the same paradox: public institutions and private investors are profiting from the very systems that continue forest loss. 

Pará’s government contracted local firms to build Avenida Liberdade with federal funds. Yet, locals worry that the road will attract outsiders and lead to real estate speculation, with properties bought and then resold, at a much higher price, in a short period of time. 

In parallel, global financiers are already eyeing the TFFF, hoping to profit from forest protection as an asset. The result is a so-called circular economy and effectively greenwashed growth — where the same political and financial actors that drive deforestation are now marketing themselves as its solution.

Unless Brazil enforces strict land-use limits, protects Indigenous people’s rights, ensures direct payments to them as the real forest stewards, and severs the link between new infrastructure and agricultural expansion, COP30’s climate leadership risks collapsing into spectacle. 

The Bigger Picture

Hosting COP30 in the heart of the Amazon should put the forest at the center of climate diplomacy, instead, it has revealed a deeper friction between development and preservation. The highway project offers a concrete symbol of that tension: infrastructure built through intact rainforest, justified by the same language of sustainability that COP30 is meant to promote.

At stake is more than Brazil’s reputation. It’s the future of the Amazon as a living ecosystem, a climate regulator, and a home for tens of millions. If the Avenida Liberdade highway becomes a gateway for further clearing, and if the TFFF becomes just another financial product without enforcement, the world will see COP30 for what it is: a paradox of progress built on cleared ground. If Brazil can align finance, policy, and community power, it might still prove that growth and protection can coexist — and that the money trees of the Amazon don’t have to be felled to bear fruit.

If you want to learn more about how Brazil’s forests are being impacted by deforestation, check out our new three-part series Underreported Earth: “Tree Tales”, presented in partnership with the Pulitzer Center. Hosted by The Guardian’s Tracy McVeigh, three Pulitzer Center-supported investigative journalists discuss how they uncovered powerful stories about deforestation and conservation. 

Ana Bottallo explores what led her to the mangrove forests of Brazil and how predatory fishing is putting them at risk; Elisângela Mendonça investigates how farming in Brazil’s rainforests is driven not only by the meat industry, but also by a growing global obsession with collagen; and Josephine Moulds speaks about her journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo to report on the government’s fossil fuel drilling auction that threatens the vital Congo Basin rainforest.  The series kicks off next Monday 17th of November, across EARTHDAY.ORG’s social media platforms at midday, EST. With a new episode on the18th and 19th of November.

EARTHDAY.ORG is on the ground at COP30 this year, advocating for climate education around the world. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date for our activities next week. And if you want to do even more, please support our global tree planting campaign, the Canopy Tree Project.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Does Money Grow on the Amazon’s Trees? appeared first on Earth Day.

One thing is clear: the transition to renewable power is reshaping our world. From cleaner air, new jobs,  and boundless potential, clean energy — energy sources that produce little to no greenhouse gas emissions — is no longer just an environmental solution but an economic, social, and public health breakthrough. Along coastlines, wind turbines sweep through the air; in deserts, solar panels shimmer under the sun; deep underground, heat rises to provide electricity. In the first half of 2025 alone, $386 billion was invested worldwide in renewable energy projects.  Here are three key reasons why.

Clean Energy = Cheapest Power Source

One of the most persistent misconceptions about renewable energy is that it’s more expensive than fossil fuel like oil, coal and gas. For decades, fossil fuel supporters have leaned in on the idea that renewables couldn’t compete in costs. But global data shows this is not true –  wind and solar are now the cheapest sources of new power generation. 

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has reported the cost of utility-scale solar, or in other words large-scale solar power projects, decreasing by over 90% in the last decade while wind costs have dropped by 70%. 

These  figures represent a historic economic shift. Utility-scale solar for 2025 comes in at around $38–$78 per megawatt-hour, and onshore wind around $37–$86, compared to $71–$173 for coal and $141–$220 for new nuclear. 

Even when you factor in storage or grid upgrades, clean power often undercuts fossil fuels. This means consumers, businesses and utility companies are choosing renewable energy sources not just for environmental reasons but because it’s become the financially viable choice. Cheaper power means lower electricity bills for families and more predictable costs for industries heavily reliant on energy. 

However, a critical factor that also has to be factored in is the drastic rise in energy demand, created by the explosion in the building of data centers to run AI programs like Chat GPT, GEmini, Ai Perplexity, Claude and many more.  

In the U.S. alone, data centers consumed about 176 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2023, accounting for 4.4% of total U.S. electricity use. This demand is projected to nearly double by 2028. Global data center electricity needs could rise by 50% by 2027 and up to 165% by 2030 compared to 2023.  This surge in AI-related energy needs puts pressure on mainstream and renewable grids and infrastructure, making the transition to renewables even more vital.

Renewable Energy is Good for Your Health

Fossil fuels come with a heavy hidden cost that doesn’t show up on electricity bills. According to research by the Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Nancy, France and published in the National Library of Medicine, the burning of coal, oil and gas releases carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter are strongly associated with risk of asthma, heart disease and premature death. 

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution is heavily tied to fossil fuel emissions, and kills nearly 7 million people worldwide every single year globally. 91,000 early deaths and hundreds of thousands of health issues are attributed to air pollution caused by the burning of oil and gas in the US alone.

In comparison, solar and wind produce electricity without combustion, meaning no tailpipes, smokestacks or toxic residues. Their small lifecycle emissions come from manufacturing and transporting solar panels and wind turbines. Even when those emissions are included, their total greenhouse gas emissions are a fraction fossil fuels. For example, rooftop solar emits around 43 grams of carbon dioxide on average per kilowatt-hour, compared to coal at roughly 1000 grams and gas at 486 grams.

Cleaner air means healthier communities and reduced healthcare costs due to  decreasing numbers of air pollution-related diseases. It’s not just about saving the planet from climate change, it’s also about saving lives and making the transition to renewable energy is one of the most effective public health strategies available. 

Solar Power = World’s Annual Energy Needs in Just One Hour

In less than one day, the sun delivers enough solar energy to power the entire planet for a year, generating around 21 terawatts. Humanity’s total annual energy consumption in 2024 was 18.77 terawatt. This staggering abundance highlights solar power’s immense potential, though capturing and storing this energy efficiently remains the key challenge.

Today’s solar farms can power cities and rooftop panels give individual homeowners the ability to generate their own electricity. 

Bhadla Solar Park in India is currently one of the world’s largest solar farms, covering 22 square miles with an installed capacity of 2,245 MW. That’s enough to power nearly 1.5 million average U.S. homes or 4.5 million average Indian homes. The London Array Wind Farm off the coast of the UK is one of the largest offshore wind farms globally, generating 630 MW of clean energy annually that powers half a million homes. In the U.S. the Johnson Corner Solar Project  in Stanton County, Kansas, was the state’s largest solar farm when it opened in 2020, with 27.5 MW capacity powering over 5,000 homes but the Boot Hill Solar Project will soon over take it to become Kansas’s largest commercial solar installation, producing 150 MW to power nearly 44,000 homes.

Energy storage technologies like lithium-ion batteries and energy alternatives such as solid-state or flow batteries ensure that solar energy can be captured and used even when it’s dark outside, contrary to what detractors like Doug Burgum, United States Secretary of the Interior, are claiming, solar is not an intermittent energy source!  

Critics like Burgum often argue about intermittency but when solar power is combined with storage and grid upgrades, it can provide a consistent and reliable electricity supply. Harnessing this essentially limitless supply of clean energy will become a cornerstone in the future global economy whether Doug likes it or not!

Renewable Energy Will Power A Clean Future

The evidence is clear: clean energy is healthier, abundant, and is vital for the creation of new jobs in the energy sector. But it is also the only way, long term, that humanity will be able to keep the lights on. 

Every new solar panel or wind turbine marks progress toward a future where electricity is reliable, pollution-free, and accessible to all. The choice is no longer between the environment and the economy — we can have both. By investing in renewables today, we unlock innovation and security for generations to come. The clean energy future is already unfolding. The only question is how quickly we choose to embrace it. 

Join the movement for a cleaner, healthier future. Sign the Our Power, Our Planet petition

today and demand renewable energy now. In the U.S.? Send a message to your state lawmakers asking them to invest in renewable energy.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Clean Energy Saves Money and Lives appeared first on Earth Day.

Every year on October 18, Alaska Day commemorates the 1867 transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States — but Alaska’s significance has evolved far beyond that moment in history. Today, it serves as a living laboratory for climate science, a place where melting glaciers, thawing permafrost, and changing ecosystems offer a glimpse into the Earth’s future. 

Across its vast landscape — spanning 663,300 square miles — Alaska compresses global environmental challenges into one dramatic microcosm. Its mountains, tundra, and coastlines reveal how warming transforms not just local communities, but the entire planet. Scientists from around the world travel there to study these transformations, and their findings are reshaping what we know about climate change.

Here are some of the lessons the world is learning from Alaska, the frontline of a changing planet. 

Glaciers are the Planet’s Thermometers

Alaska’s glaciers are among the fastest-melting in the world, losing about 66.7 billion tonnes of ice each year as of 2021. If all of Alaska’s glacier ice were to melt, the resulting meltwater would contribute approximately 46.4 mm to global sea-level rise. Glaciers around the world are vanishing faster than scientists can study them with 40% – 90% projected to disappear by the end of the century if current warming trends continue. 

Glaciers act as natural climate records with each layer of compacted snow containing trapped air bubbles that can reveal what Earth’s atmosphere was like in the past. Ice cores, cylindrical samples of ice drilled from ice sheets or glaciers, act much like tree rings because they provide records of past environmental conditions. When scientists drill ice cores, they can track carbon dioxide levels, volcanic activity, and temperature shifts over thousands of years. 

In August 2025, the rapid melting of Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier led to the formation of a meltwater lake known locally as Suicide Basin, near Juneau. This ice-dammed basin periodically overflows as meltwater builds up and forces its way beneath the thinning glacier, which is losing roughly 100-150 feet of ice each year. When the pressure becomes too great, the basin drains suddenly, triggering destructive floods downstream. Because the sides of the lake are fragile, this sudden release can sweep up large amounts of sediment, posing a threat to buildings and infrastructure.

Sea ice and glaciers help keep the Earth cool by reflecting sunlight back into space, reducing the amount of heat absorbed by the planet. Without this reflective surface, the exposed water absorbs more heat, warming further and causing more ice to melt — a self-reinforcing cycle. The retreat of glaciers and the flooding of Alaska’s Mendenhall River serve as stark warnings of the global consequences of climate change. As these massive ice formations shrink, they accelerate sea-level rise, threaten the livelihoods and safety of coastal communities, and disrupt ocean circulation patterns that regulate the planet’s climate.

Thawing Permafrost = Unlocks Carbon

An estimated 85% of Alaska’s land is covered by permafrost — frozen ground that stores about twice as much carbon as is currently present in Earth’s entire atmosphere

When permafrost thaws, it releases carbon dioxide and methane, two potent greenhouse gases that intensify global warming. Researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks stated that the current thaw rates are accelerating. In just a few decades, previously solid ground has subsided into “thermokarst” landscapes that are uneven, soggy terrain where forests tilt and collapse.

This thawing sets up a self-reinforcing feedback loop: warming causes permafrost to melt, which releases massive stores of greenhouse gases (CO₂ and methane). Those emissions further warm the climate, accelerating permafrost degradation in a cycle known as the permafrost carbon–climate feedback. Given the vast carbon reservoirs locked in Arctic soils, many scientists warn this is one of Earth’s potential tipping points and Alaska’s rapidly changing landscapes provide a clear warning of how close we may be to crossing it.

Adapt or Die

Melting permafrost and the significant loss of reflective snow and ice, which leads to less sunlight being reflected and more heat being absorbed, a phenomenon also known as Arctic Amplification, is driving massive change in the region on many levels.

Alaska’s ecosystems and its people are adapting faster than almost anywhere else in the world. As the Arctic warms 3.5 times the global average, climate change is disrupting animal populations, and entire food webs are reorganizing. 

For instance, salmon are now  moving into rivers that were previously too cold to support them, altering local ecosystems. Yet even as their range expands, overall salmon populations are declining, which is disrupting Indigenous fishing patterns that have been practiced for centuries. The same warming that shifts salmon habits is also thawing permafrost, destabilizing infrastructure — from homes to pipelines — and forcing towns like Newtok to relocate.

Another example is the changing migration patterns of bowhead whales. As sea ice recedes, these whales are delaying their migrations. Once reliant on the Bering Sea’s winter feeding grounds, many now remain in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas year-round, adapting their diets as the shifting ice affects the availability of krill and zooplankton. What’s happening in Alaska offers a glimpse of the environmental, economic, and social transformations that other regions may face in the coming decades.

Alaska’s Lessons  

Alaska is no longer just America’s last frontier but the world’s first warning system. Its glaciers, permafrost, and ecosystems are teaching us that climate change isn’t a distant threat but a present reality. The data collected in Alaska informs climate models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and guides global policy decisions.

As scientists often say: what happens in Alaska doesn’t stay in Alaska. The state’s landscapes, rich in both beauty and evidence, reveal the story of a planet in transition and reminds us that the choices we make now will determine how that story ends.

Our precious living laboratory is under threat now more than ever. Ironically new fossil fuel drilling projects are planned across Alaska — already one of the most climate-vulnerable regions on Earth. These developments risk accelerating environmental damage further in a place that offers critical insights into our planet’s future. 

Sign our Renewable Energy petition to demand that world leaders move decisively away from fossil fuels and toward a just, sustainable energy future.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Alaska is America’s Living Laboratory for Climate Change appeared first on Earth Day.

The transition to renewable energy is far more than an environmental necessity, it is a profound economic and cultural transformation that is reshaping the world. In 2023 alone, clean energy sectors accounted for 10% of global GDP growth, driving prosperity from India to the United States and China, the world’s largest clean energy adopter, where the sector accounted for nearly one fifth of the country’s 5.2% GDP growth.  

The European Union saw nearly a third of its economic growth fueled by renewables that same year. 

This momentum is underpinned by record-breaking investments, such as the $338 billion deployed in clean energy financing in the U.S. in 2025, propelling a surge in solar, wind, and battery storage capacity additions. The U.S. added 50 gigawatts of renewable capacity in 2024, including a record 49 gigawatts of solar power, making renewables the second-largest power source, contributing 24% of electricity generation.

Here are three other ways it is changing the planet and our lives.

Job Creation Outpaces Fossil Fuels

In the U.S. opponents of clean energy often argue it will eliminate jobs but the evidence shows the opposite.  Building solar farms, manufacturing wind turbines, installing rooftop panels and maintaining energy storage facilities all require skilled workers. 

According to the U.S Department of Energy, clean energy jobs already outnumber fossil fuel jobs in the US by three to one. Unlike fossil fuels, which are tied to fixed deposits underground and depend on pipelines, rail lines, or offshore drilling platforms, renewable energy projects can be spread almost anywhere — across rural, suburban, and city neighborhoods — which allows for greater local employment and career growth. 

The transition to renewable energy doesn’t mean job loss, it means job transformation. Roles like turbine technicians and solar installers are projected to grow by 50% and 42% respectively between 2024 and 2034, making them some of the fastest-growing professions in the country. In 2022, the transition was projected to create 10.3 million new jobs globally by 2030 and in 2023 alone the number of newly added jobs increased by 142,000. 

These opportunities,  in power generation, grid modernization, and the automotive sector, offer long-term, stable employment to replace the 2.7 million fossil fuel jobs expected to be lost over the next decade.

Global Momentum Accelerating Investments

Clean energy is not just happening in the US, it’s a global movement. Worldwide, total investments in renewable energy reached a record  $2.1 trillion in 2024. In 2024, China invested $818 billion in the energy transition, while the European Union committed $375 billion and the United States $338 billion, underscoring the scale and competition driving this global shift. 

China, over the course of the last year, has installed more solar capacity than the rest of the world combined and accounts for almost two thirds of utility-scale solar and wind power construction. China’s President Xi Jinping said in a live video message at a climate leaders’ summit at the UN Assembly, hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio said on September 24, 2025, that by 2035 his country would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 7%-10% from its peak. Much of this is being made possible by China’s move to renewable energy.

Meanwhile, the European Union has accelerated its clean energy targets in response to climate change and the need for energy independence. The EU has completely banned imports of coal from Russia, oil imports have dropped from 27% in 2022 to 3% in 2025, and gas imports have dropped from 45% in 2021 to 19% in 2024.

Morocco and India too are emerging as leaders in the global clean energy transition. Morocco’s renewable projects accounted for around 40% of its installed energy capacity in 2023, with a target to increase that to 52% by 2030. The country’s investment in solar and wind is also helping to fuel their economic growth and energy independence. India, meanwhile, is experiencing one of the fastest rates of renewable electricity growth among major world economies, rapidly expanding its solar and wind capacity to meet both their energy demand and their climate goals.

While both countries remain reliant on fossil fuels, they are supported by the World Bank Group and other financial institutions as they invest heavily to accelerate their clean energy transitions. In fact in 2024, global investment in clean energy climbed to nearly 2 trillion dollars, outpacing fossil fuels at just over 1 trillion dollars and marking a decisive shift in where the world is putting its money. 

These investments are not only about the climate but they’re also about economic competitiveness and national security.

Public and Political Support is Growing

Back in February, the U.S. Department of Transportation froze funding that Congress had previously allocated for new electric vehicle charging stations. In response, a coalition of states sued to unfreeze the money. In June, U.S. District Judge Tana Lin of the Western District of Washington ruled that the Department of Transportation and the administration had “overstepped their Constitutional … authority and have attempted to override the express will of Congress,” leading to the release of the funds.

The money has been withheld under the Trump administration’s review of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. The ruling underscored the separation of powers and upheld Congress’s authority over federal spending.

Even though the approval process for building new EV charging stations has proven to be slow, as EV charging stations become more widespread and available, EVs will become a more practical option for millions of Americans. 

Historically politicians have shown bipartisan support for renewable energy, helping to embed clean energy incentives into major legislation such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Much of this work to grow the renewable energy industry in the US is now being undermined as the Trump administration seeks to defund renewable energy projects. 

The U.S. The Department of Energy, in its 2025 budget, reduced solar power funding from $318 million to about $42 million and wind power funding from $137 million to $30 million. The administration also rescinded some eligibility for tax credits for renewable energy projects built after 2027, aiming to claw back some of the IRA’s clean energy investments. However cities and states across the U.S are actively setting out their own ambitious renewable targets regardless. 

California has mandated 100% clean energy by 2045, while Texas, despite its oil reputation, leads the nation in wind power. The push for clean energy isn’t just policy, it’s fueled by politicians, consumers, and communities who see the benefits of a cleaner, cheaper and healthier future. 

The evidence supporting the shift to renewable energy is undeniable. Every sign points to a future where clean energy dominates because it makes economic and social sense. There’s no longer a question of if the transition to renewable energy will happen but rather, how quickly the transition will take place. By investing in renewables today, we not only protect our planet but work towards building a healthier future for the generations to come. 

Join the movement for a cleaner, healthier future. Sign the Our Power, Our Planet petition

today and demand renewable energy now. In the U.S.? Send a message to your state lawmakers asking them to invest in renewable energy.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Renewable Energy is About More Than Just Electricity appeared first on Earth Day.