New Zealand to be 90% Renewable

New Zealand, well known for providing the clean, fresh landscapes seen in The Lord of the Rings, is planning on becoming a little cleaner, soon. It was announced not long ago that the country intends to be ninety percent renewable by the year 2025. This bold announcement seems as though it might be difficult to fulfill, but the country is already seventy percent renewable. Actions are already being taken to prevent construction of any new fossil fuel plants in the country.

This idea of being almost completely renewable in resources sounds easy, especially for a country like New Zealand, which is already nearing its goal, but in other areas of the globe, it will not be easy to attain even half renewable status ever. The United States, for instance, is a much larger country, and has a much more complicated power grid. For the country to compete with New Zealand, not only would we need a radical change in structure, we would also need a radical change in political makeup. Currently the administration is slow on the uptake, preferring instead to pay borderline enemies for the substance that sustains the country.

New Zealand is setting an example for the rest of the world, and it is my hope that more countries will follow its lead, striving to make themselves a poster-country for renewable practices. And the benefits for such a move would surely be worth any cost paid. Health does have a price tag, and right now that price tag is probably the cost of making a country follow New Zealand's lead.

The article can be found here: EcoGeek.org