Cleaner air & energy boosted as industry makes the shift

[Updated from 7/4/17: Volvo to end manufacturing traditional combustion engines by 2019, eventually will go all-electric]

Donald Trump may have pulled the US out of the Paris climate accord and pushes programs and appointees to block clean energy, but industry itself is shutting down coal-fired plants for alternative fuels - - here or here or here or here - - because investments in clean energy are growing at a record pace,  driven by economics, not ideology.

Producing "monumental" job growth, says US News & World Report, meaning the move to cleaner energy is, as they say, 'baked in' as time marches on.

Wind turbines in Iowa

And even as Trump, his EPA, and governors like our own Scott Walker block alternatives energy initiatives with rules and fees, and remove scientists and science from key positions and official websites, the futility of their backwards thinking is underscored by the emphasis on science and change framing this fascinating June 27 news release from shipping giant UPS: 

Sets Science-Based Target and Publishes Annual Corporate Sustainability Report

UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced aggressive new sustainability goals to add more alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles to its fleet while increasing its reliance on renewable energy sources. The goals, available in the company’s 2016 Corporate Sustainability Report, support UPS’s commitment to reduce its absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from global ground operations 12 percent by 2025, a goal developed using a methodology approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.

“Because of our size and scale, we know our commitments can shape markets, advance technologies and be a catalyst for infrastructure investments,” said David Abney, UPS Chairman and CEO. “We rely on the ingenuity of our employees, suppliers and technology partners to help us reach goals that will transform the shipping industry and spur innovation.”

UPS has a goal that 25 percent of the electricity it consumes will come from renewable energy sources by 2025, a dramatic increase from the 0.2 percent in 2016. In addition, by 2020 UPS plans that one in four new vehicles purchased annually will be an alternative fuel or advanced technology vehicle, up from 16 percent in 2016. The company also set a new goal that by 2025, 40 percent of all ground fuel will be from sources other than conventional gasoline and diesel, an increase from 19.6 percent in 2016.