Energy. Few initiatives are more important to the future of our
planet than the development of clean, renewable power sources.
Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels have contributed to climate
change with disastrous implications for humans, animals and
plant life. For this reason, The Nature Conservancy has made
devising a viable, environmentally sensitive plan for
alternative energy a top priority. The need for renewable energy
development is nowhere more acute than in the state of
California. With the highest population and largest economy of
all the states in the U.S., our need for electricity is great.
Meanwhile, we boast an ambitious state law mandating that fully
one-third of our energy be generated by renewable sources by
2020. Unfortunately, the rush to create alternative fuel
sources, such as solar and wind power, has led to schemes that
could jeopardize critical elements of the very environment they
could potentially save. Large-scale solar and wind plants
proposed for the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts th