If you had to guess which seven countries in the world are already at 100% renewable energy I bet you’d be surprised at least by some of them. Sadly, it appears to take a significant amount of bravery to have already ‘got there’. The naysayers are strong-voiced, influential and noisome. But despite this, Albania (98% from hydropower), Bhutan (100% hydropower), Nepal (99% hydropower), Paraguay (100% hydropower), Iceland (75% hydropower), Ethiopa (96% hydropower), and Democratic Republic of Congo (100% hydropower) have all successfully transitioned away from burning fossil fuels. There also a clear pattern here – these are all smaller countries with powerful river basins they have been able to tap into. Most are historically relatively small carbon emitters, but this should not undermine their achievement.

Here at art.earth Books we are about to close the callout for submissions to our next publication On a day like today we just need to look forward. We hope we will receive many submissions exploring the reluctance of more established and power-hungry economies to find the will and the resources to move away from fossil fuels. What innovations are required to shift our reluctant societies; how can we push back against increasingly harsh political headwinds; what can we do to persuade others to embrace the change that is so desperately needed? Fact and finger-wagging don’t seem to work, so what other methods and languages can we adopt to nurture the required societal change?

We’d love to hear from you if you have any involvement in this area of thought. Time’s running out (deadline on Saturday (May 9)) but all we are asking for at this stage is 400 words.

Image: Moinak Hydro Power Plant 3 by Yakov Fedorov via Creative Commons Share Alike.