Post Earth Day Hangover Post

I love the yin and the yang of the daily news. I feel it's important not to feel too much unbridled joy at the positive or untrammeled despair at the negative. Good news first.

Given advances in renewable energy, battery storage, government regulations, and more, there’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic that the world is making progress toward a cleaner energy future. 

Here's a taste of that juicy optimism, for the other four head off to the link.

Clean energy is expanding worldwide, and wind and solar in particular are driving the shift from carbon-intensive fossil fuels to renewable sources. This could be a banner year, particularly in the US.

In 2015, the US will install more renewables than ever before.

OK, here's one more.

A huge amount of energy produced worldwide is wasted through inefficiencies, and over the last decade countries in the developed world and beyond have made great strides toward using energy more wisely.

Eighteen developed countries – including the US, UK, and France – saved more energy through efficiency measures from 2001 and 2011 than China used in 2011.

So, here's the bad news, not that I'm a fan of Tim McGraw. A bigger fan of him than I am of gun nuts, though. 

A social-media firestorm broke out last week at the news that superstar country musician Tim McGraw will be headlining a benefit concert for a nonprofit aimed at protecting children from gun violence.

Proving once again that the road to protecting children from gun violence is paved with criticism from the NRA.