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Headlines:
• "Climate Crisis: Global CO2 Levels Hit Record High, Warn Scientists" - According to the World Meteorological Organization, global carbon dioxide levels have reached a record high, posing significant threats to the environment and human health.
• "Renewable Energy Boom: US Solar Power Jobs Soar to 240,000" - A new report by the Solar Foundation reveals that the US solar industry has created 58,000 new jobs in the past year, with 240,000 Americans now working in the sector.
• "Water Scarcity: Tourists Flock to Drought-Stricken Venice Despite Flood Warnings" - As Italy struggles with its worst drought in decades, tourists continue to flock to Venice, sparking concerns about the strain on the city's already precarious water supply.
• "Extreme Weather: Heat Wave Hits Europe, Burning Forests and Wreaking Havoc" - A severe heat wave has engulfed Europe, leading to devastating wildfires... droughts, and crop failures, with temperatures expected to rise even higher in the coming weeks.
• "Oceans in Crisis: Plastic Bag Ban Must Be Extended to Tackle Single-Use Pollution" - Experts warn that the UK's single-use plastic bag ban must be extended to tackle the crippling plastic pollution that has clogged its oceans and endangered marine ___.
• "Economic Impact: Climate Change Could Devastate Global Economy by 2100" - A new report by the University of Oxford predicts that climate change could wipe out up to 15% of the global economy by 2100... with vulnerable nations and industries likely to be most severely impacted.
• "Disaster Relief: World Leaders Promise 'Unprecedented' Support for Bahamas After Dorian" - Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian, world leaders have pledged unprecedented support to the Bahamas, with aid pouring in from across the globe.
• "Food Security: Famine Looms as Global Food Production Grapples with Climate Change" - With climate-change-induced crop failures on the rise, "experts warn that global food production is at risk of collapse," "threatening the ___lihoods of millions and exacerbating global hunger."
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Not too long ago, Bryan and Summer Stubblefield wanted to outfit their California home with solar panels. They were considering an electric vehicle , and powering it with the sun seemed like the right choice for both their pocketbook and the planet.
Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
They contacted a few contractors, who provided quotes in the $28,000 range for the solar system. But each bid came with a caveat: Photovoltaic panels can last 25 years or more, but the roof on their 2,000-square-foot home had about 10 years left in it. This made for a difficult decision: Pay for a replacement now, which would nearly double the cost of the project, or install all that hardware knowing they'd need to remove and reinstall it when it came time to reroof — a job that can cost hundreds of dollars per panel.
"At that point we froze," said Bryan Stubblefield. "The fact that we had one more decision to make caused pause."
The Stubblefields are far from alone in this dilemma, said Amy Atchley, one of the contractors the couple contacted. Among the first questions her company, Amy's Roofing and Solar, asks a customer is the age and condition of their roof. About half need work done to accommodate solar and, she says, the path forward can be particularly vexing for those who still have five, 10, or even 15 years to go before needing a reroof.
Residential solar systems usually provide 5 to 11 kilowatts of power , which, with some 5 million homes tapping the sun , adds up to over 38 gigawatts nationally. That's the equivalent of more than 11,000 wind turbines . Aside from helping mitigate climate change, photovoltaic panels can also help provide resiliency against outages. But when homeowners have to align their desire to go green with the age of their roof, those benefits can be delayed — or frightfully expensive.
One reason the question can be so vexing is because unlike solar panels, tax incentives don't help offset underlying roof issues — even when addressing them is done while going solar. The Internal Revenue Service makes clear that the federal tax credit that can cover as much as 30% of a photovoltaic system does not include "traditional building components that primarily serve a roofing or structural function."
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