Why Electricity?

As climate change threatens to upend so many facets of society as we know it, we act on climate not only to benefit the environment, but also to address a broad range of social issues.

While it can seem overwhelming to address an issue as large as climate change, we have found a pathway to impact by focusing our work on transforming the electricity sector. The electricity sector produces 38% of the CO2 emissions coming from energy, and is therefore the single largest opportunity to reduce our emissions and stop climate change.

Not only does the electricity sector contribute significantly to emissions and pollution, but it is also the key pathway to decarbonizing buildings, transport, and industry via electrification. Therefore, if we are to avoid shifting emissions from one sector to another, it is imperative that electrification come from clean electricity.

Beyond emissions, the impacts of consuming fossil fuel-powered electricity are visible and tangible. Combustion and use of fossil fuels are linked to over 4 million premature deaths from air pollution. Run-off from power plants leech into our land, contaminating our drinking water, poisoning our agricultural lands, and harming the ecosystems that depend on our waterways. 

All of these impacts affect our health, our livelihoods, and our economies. And they disproportionately affect disenfranchised, minority and indigenous communities, putting vulnerable populations at the frontline of our global crisis.   

We see the shift to clean electricity as a tremendous opportunity to work towards sustainable and equitable development, and ultimately towards a safer, healthier, and more equitable world for all living beings to thrive. We are dedicating our resources and our passion to moving away from the threat and towards the opportunity.

As we look to rebuild our economies after the COVID crisis, we have a unique opportunity to build back better—to support electricity infrastructure that will address not only the climate crisis, but also provide clean air, clean water and good jobs.    

We are dedicating our resources and our passion to moving away from the threat and towards the opportunity.