OPINION: Atoms for peace and clean power
Climate change and its threat of extreme weather events, caused in part by fossil-fuel emissions, loom dangerously, as we all well know after seeing the devastation from Superstorm Sandy and the continuing extreme weather events across the country. Additionally, these emissions are threatening the health of our elderly and young, especially the underserved, who suffer daily from chronic asthma.
It’s imperative that we transition from fossil-burning electric generating plants to clean alternatives such as wind turbines and solar power to improve air quality. These dirty plants produce the greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
But wind and solar cannot do it today and may never be able to do it alone. Their intermittent nature requires that we have a base load of electricity generators that operate continuously to ensure our lights stay on.