country out of the Paris climate accord, which
aims to start weaning the world off fossil fuels.
Yet we also are undergoing a green energy rev-
olution. Globally, renewable energy in the next
five years is on track to increase by an amount
equal to the electric power capacity of the United
States. The fastest growing U.S. occupation in
the next decade, according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics? Solar panel installer. (Number
two: wind turbine service technician.)
Across the nation, cities and states are
pledging to change. This year California began
requiring solar panels on new homes. The city
The table in this
Tucumcari, New Mex-
ico, restaurant is real;
the dining couple is a
trompe l’oeil mural. The
painting above shows
a scene, once common
in the West, of cattle
gathering around water
pumped by a windmill.
Future landscapes will
have to contain many
more wind turbines
and solar farms, partic-
ularly if we turn away
from nuclear power.Oatman, Arizona (left),
once a mining town
where burros brought
gold and silver out of
the hills, later was a way
station for migrants on
Route 66. Today it’s a
tourist attraction, with
wild burros dozing
in the shade and Wild
West “gunfighters”
performing shows
daily. Elsewhere in
Mohave County, a solar-
powered data center
is under construction.THE ROAD TO 2070 53