Solutions journalism is news about how communities and organizations are responding to social and environmental problems. This collection contains solutions stories about cities and countries that show that geothermal energy has the potential to provide significant energy capacity in a completely sustainable way. Two stories in this collection feature Iceland, where geothermal energy heats pools that define their communities, and geothermal power plants turn CO2 into a solid to stop it from entering into the atmosphere. Kenya has also experienced success in harnessing geothermal energy, and it was able to supply almost half of the country's energy needs in 2015. Another story addresses new technology from a Swedish company that can harness geothermal energy more efficiently and could make it economically viable for the world.
Find more stories like these in the Solutions Journalism Network's Story Tracker.
Want a solutions story delivered to your inbox each week? You're guaranteed to learn something new about how communities are responding to environmental challenges. Click here to get your weekly dose of better news.
Want to use some or all of these stories in a classroom or community setting? We'll add questions here soon to get you started, but in the meantime, we invite you to make a copy of this collection and create your own!
Beneath the surface of the earth is an energy source, geothermal, that could provide 39 countries with all of their electricity needs. Geothermal power is generated through the piping of underground water and steam reservoirs to the surface in order to power turbines that produce electricity. This type of energy is attractive because it is a free heat source, and it is bountiful, and reliable. According to the Project Drawdown's calculations, geothermal growth from now until 2050 will result in the reduction of CO2 emissions by 16.6 gigatons (1 gigaton is equal to 1 billion tons). Join the Earth Month Ecochallenge to learn more and take action on this climate solution.