Recycled energy as the bridge to a carbon-free future

Melissa Mullarkey, a public policy associate here at RED, argues in Trends that capturing waste energy would help the U.S. transition into a carbon-free future. Yes, we eventually need to wean ourselves off of fossil fuels entirely. But that can’t happen overnight.

In the meantime, we have to start making big reductions in our greenhouse gas emissions so we can avoid the worst effects of catastrophic climate change. Energy efficiency, Melissa says—especially through technologies like combined heat and power (aka cogeneration)—is the best way to get here.