States across the country are seeing a sharp increase in electricity demand, driven by artificial intelligence and the subsequent need for new data centers. As Sierra magazine reports, the carbon footprint of companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook is growing dramatically, putting important climate goals at risk.
Some utility companies are proposing to meet this demand by delaying the retirement dates of gas and coal plants instead of building renewable energy and storage. The demand for AI power is getting so huge that big tech companies are even trying to reopen closed nuclear plants like Three Mile Island.
Our public lands, which are areas managed by the federal government for the American people, provide open space and clean water for our communities, critical habitats for native plants and animals, and connections to our land's history and culture.
We want to hear from you! The annual Week Without Driving challenge starts on Monday, September 30. But for many, getting around without a car can be difficult, if not impossible. That's why we want to know: Are there reliable and accessible transit options in your community? If not, what would you like to see improved?
Want to ensure the permanent protection of our Southwest deserts? The proposed Kw'tsán National Monument would protect 380,000 acres of vast desert landscape between California and Arizona, much of which sits on the land of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe. Designating this monument would secure co-stewardship between the Quechan nation and the Bureau of Land Management and would preserve fragile habitats for iconic desert creatures like the desert tortoise and roadrunners.
Summer may be over, but here at Sierra Club Outings there is still so much to look forward to! Take your pick from 125+ unforgettable group trips, from service outings to snow excursions and
cozy lodge-based vacations, as well as our latest
2025 international trips, all of which are online and ready for reservations. Don't forget to mark your calendars for October 8, when our next batch of 2025 trips open for booking!
If you want to help fight climate change -- while saving money in the long run -- electrifying your home is a great place to start. Residential energy use accounts for a whopping 20 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions, which are mostly the result of heating and cooling. Today's electrical appliances are more than capable of replacing fossil-fuel-burning ones. Best of all, there are numerous state and federal incentives that make it cheaper than ever to install them.
There are over 2 million orphaned oil and gas wells in the United States, many of which are decades or centuries old. When they stopped being used, many were not plugged properly, and there were no standards for cleanup. Now, these wells leak toxic chemicals into groundwater and torpedo home values. And every year they emit 275,000 tons of methane, an especially potent greenhouse gas.
Maine's long journey to a fossil-fuel-free destination is finally in sight! In 2019, Democratic governor Janet Mills signed a bipartisan bill calling for 100,000 new heat pumps in Maine homes by 2025. This program has been so successful that the state met its heat pump goal two years early and is now aiming for 175,000 more installations by 2027.
We have no time to waste. We must act at unmatched speed on an unprecedented scale to confront the crises facing our country and our planet. We can only be successful by building a movement that works for everyone. Learn more about the Sierra Club.
