General Motors
General Motors, the biggest automotive company in the United States, announced on Wednesday its commitment to powering company-wide operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. GM joins nearly 70 other companies in making a commitment to 100 percent renewable energy.
Leadership from companies including GM will inspire even more ambition across the country as we work towards 100 percent clean energy like wind and solar. Paired with GM’s production of zero-tailpipe emission electric vehicles and planned commitments to clean transportation, this announcement shows that we are well on our way to realizing a 100 percent clean energy and transportation vision.
General Motors joins a growing movement of businesses, cities, and communities throughout the United States that are ready for 100 percent clean, renewable energy.
Seventeen American cities have already committed to a goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy, including Salt Lake City, Boulder, San Diego and San Francisco. In August, the City of Denver similarly announced that it would undertake a study identifying pathways to 100 percent clean energy as part of the city’s greenhouse gas goals. The Los Angeles City Council will soon vote on a measure directing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to study pathways to transitioning off of fossil fuels to power the city with 100% clean energy.
Clean energy is good for cities and good for business. Solar prices have fallen 80% in recent years and wind prices have fallen 60%. Clean energy is now cheaper than coal and gas in many places. As GM pursues this important goal, and others like rapid acceleration of electric vehicle manufacturing, the company should prioritize investments in clean, renewable energy like wind, solar, and energy efficiency.
The Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 campaign is a new national campaign launched in 2016 working to accelerate a just and equitable transition to 100 percent clean energy in the United States. Ready for 100 is campaigning to get 100 cities in the United States to move away from dirty, outdated fossil fuels and to commit to 100 percent clean energy.