Green energy needs solar panels to convert the energy of the sun, and rechargeable energy storage devices, like batteries.

Batteries need rare metals.

Here is the paradox of Green Energy. Mining for rare earth metals and building sprawling solar farms leave their own ecological scars, as described by Charles Assisi.

The chemicals used in battery production can contaminate water sources, and the disposal of these batteries is a ticking time bomb.

Metaphorically speaking, it’s like trying to cure a cough with a medicine that gives you pneumonia. We might be addressing climate change, but creating other problems which include risks to the environment.

Renewable energy comes with hefty price tags of various kinds. Take solar panels, for instance. These instruments of transition to green energy are made from rare earth metals like lithium and cobalt, mined in distant lands.

But the narrative that goes untold is that the practices followed to extract these metals are questionable. The batteries that store this precious sunlight are no different from what is available now. Imagine replacing your car battery every few years—not exactly sustainable, is it?

And if it’s wind power we’re talking about, the wind doesn’t always blow.

Then there are the people and millions of jobs in the fossil fuel sector, from miners to truck drivers whose future hangs in balance. Replacing them with green jobs isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. It requires retraining, infrastructure development, and a cultural shift that needs time and money.

Choose wisely for a future that is sustainable, and maybe start by auditing and reducing your own consumption.

A simple and yet profound step towards simplicity has led me to a whole new experience in living an abundant life.