An environmentalist responded to a critic’s comment about the environmental impact of renewable energy, specifically in regards to the construction of solar panels and wind turbines. 

In their response video, TikToker Emma (@simpleenvironmentalist) dispelled the commenter’s criticism but also acknowledged the line of thinking.

“I used to think the same thing five years ago,” Emma said. “But here’s the thing: solar panels and wind turbines are deemed ‘dirty to create’ because we only have fossil fuels to create them.”

The initial comment claimed that building solar panels and getting material for a wind turbine “still causes environmental damage,” which is a common claim by many critics of renewable energy. This line of thinking specifically criticizes the mining required to get the materials for solar panels and wind turbines. 

While mining for clean energy materials is more intensive than that for fossil fuels, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Climate Portal noted that “the volume of fossil fuels we mine today dwarfs the amount of clean energy minerals the world will need in the future.”

In 2021 alone, 7.5 billion tons of coal were mined for energy consumption, according to the International Energy Agency. Meanwhile, the organization predicted that clean energy efforts will require less than 30 million tons of material by 2040.









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This specific TikToker’s argument focuses more on the physical manufacturing of solar panels and wind turbines, which emit planet-warming gases through warehouse production, logistics, and otherwise. By factoring in renewable energy to power these systems, they expose an alternative approach to scaling up this industry.

“The more we start using solar and wind, the less we’ll be relying on fossil fuels to make more solar panels,” they said. “We can use solar panels to make more solar panels, and wind turbines to make more wind turbines instead of relying on gas and coal.”

A study even found that solar panels are capable of powering factory buildings. It concluded that this renewable energy source could meet all the electricity requirements for 35% of manufacturing facilities in the U.S. 

As a result, the push for renewable energy has supporters on both sides of the political aisle, with many industry experts noting that this shift is good for business and vital for meeting the need for additional energy infrastructure. 

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Commenters on the video appreciated the argument that the original poster presented.

“Ahhh love this! Let’s get on the road to 100% renewable energy,” one commenter said. 

“I hope that one day solar panels will be more accessible to lower income areas! It’s a great investment but not everyone has the money to get them,” another noted.

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