Within five years, one quarter of all the world's energy will be generated by renewable sources.

That's the finding of a new report from the International Energy Agency, and it's being hailed as “a remarkable shift in a very limited period of time.”

In 2014 alone, almost half of all the new power capacity came from clean energy sources like wind and solar. And, in developed nations, renewables account for nearly all of the new additions to power capacity.

That fact on its own is pretty astounding. And, it's enough to prove that making the switch to all-renewable energy is actually possible, regardless of what we hear from the fossil fuel industry.

According to this new report, “Even in a lower fossil fuel price environment, the policy drivers for renewable electricity – energy diversification, local pollution, and decarbonization aims, remain robust.”

In other words, even where oil, gas, and coal may be cheaper, there are other factors that drive the demand for clean energy.

Although Republican lawmakers often point to major polluters like China and India as a an excuse to avoid acting on climate change, it is actually those same countries that are leading the world in the expansion of renewable energy sources.

While we continue to elect people who refuse to admit that global warming is real, the rest of the world is doing something to address the climate crisis.

Faith Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, said, “Renewables are poised to seize the crucial top spot in global power supply growth, but this is hardly the time for complacency.” She added, “Governments must remove the question marks over renewables if these technologies are to achieve their full potential, and put our energy system on a more secure, sustainable path.”

This report makes it very clear that going to 100 percent clean, renewable energy is possible. The only question left is whether we have the will to fight for an all-renewable future.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... No show tonight - quarterly maintenance (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

There will be no show tonight as it is RT's quarterly maintenance day

Thursday's Daily Stack

In for Thom today, Progressive Commentator Sam Sacks, Co-Founder - The District Sentinel News Co-op

Article: "The Drone Papers" by The Intercept.

Article: "Obama to keep 5,500 troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016" by PBS.

Article: "Barack Obama delays withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan" by Dan Roberts, Spencer Ackerman and Sune Engel Rasmussen.

Article: "Obama heralds formal end of war in Afghanistan after 13 years" by AP, 28 December 2014.

Article: "Transcript: Obama’s Remarks on Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal Shift", October 15, 2015.

Article: "Second Republican Congressman Admits Benghazi Committee Was ‘Designed To Go After’ Clinton" by Scott Keyes.

Washington and Afghanistan
- Sam Knight, The District Sentinel

Article: "McCain: Obama should have halted Afghan withdrawal" by Kristina Wong.

Article: "Bernie Sanders wins with Fusion focus group" by Rob Wile.

Article: "Chris Matthews Admits Socialist Bernie Sanders Best Represents Democrats" by Jeffrey Meyer.

Article: "CNN/Facebook Democratic debate winners and losers" by Jeremy Diamond.

Article: "Fuming Bernie supporters: Why is CNN deleting our comments?" by Brian Maloney.

Article: "Fairness Doctrine" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Political Prediction Market: Clinton's odds up after Democratic Debate" by Daniella Diaz.

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Article: "Cable News Edits Out Rousing Sanders Attack on Vapid Media Coverage" by Lee Fang.

Hour Two: Why is the Pentagon Setting Up Shop in Silicon Valley?
- Eric Markowitz, International Business Times

Article: "Pentagon In Silicon Valley: What's The Government Up To?" by Eric Markowitz.

Article: "Russian hackers 'attacked Pentagon'" by Nick Allen.

Article: "Julian Assange" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Edward Snowden" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Chelsea Manning" by Wikipedia.

Article: "John Kiriakou" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Jeffrey Alexander Sterling" by Wikipedia.

Article: "The secret surveillance of ‘suspicious’ blacks in one of the nation’s poshest neighborhoods" by Terrence McCoy.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Luke Vargas

Article: "Obama Changes Course, 5,500 U.S. Troops To Remain In Afghanistan" by Nicholas Salazar.

Article: "After six years on the rise, Afghan opium crop cultivation declines: new UNODC survey" by UNODC.

Article: "“Blackwater” Second Most Paid Contractor in Failed Afghan Drug War, Reaps Hundreds of Millions" by Sam Sacks, March 31, 2015.

Article: "U.S. Armed Forces to be Deployed in Cameroon" by Brittany Gervais.

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Article: "TRNS News Notes – 10/15" by Victoria Jones.

Hour Three: Karl Rove and the Political Assassination of Gov. Don Siegelman
- Governor Don Siegelman, Governor of Alabama (1999-2003)

Article: "Scottish Professor Figures Out How To Turn Whisky Waste Into Energy" by Samantha Page.

Article: "Justice Department Downplays Evidence of Politics in Probe of Governor" by Adam Zagorin.

Article: "Prosecutor conduct case before Supreme Court is settled" by David G. Savage, January 05, 2010.

Bill: "H.R.2944 - Sensenbrenner-Scott SAFE Justice Reinvestment Act of 2015".

GoFundMe: "Killing 'Atticus Finch': The Political Assassination of Don Siegelman".

Article: "House's sentencing reform bill plans to reduce mandatory minimums" by Nicky Woolf.

TV: "CyberWar Threat" by Nova.

Article: "Has Kepler Discovered an Alien Megastructure?" by Ian O'Neill.

Article: "US analysts knew Afghan site was hospital" by AP.

Article: "Doctors Without Borders presses probe of hospital bombing" by Rebecca Kheel.

Article: "Total Freak Out at Fox & Friends Over Democratic Debate and “Free Stuff”" by Hrafnkell Haraldsson.

Facebook: "Berniacs of Action".

Channel: Bernie2016tv.

Video: Time Warner / CNN Shuts down Bernie2016tv!

Article: "Bernie Sanders Is Going On 'The Ellen Show'" by Igor Bobic.

Article: "Democratic debate a ratings hit as CNN scores a record 15.3 million viewers" by Stephen Battaglio.

Friday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

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Full Show 10/14/15: Bernie: Climate Change is Biggest National Security Threat

Guest host Ari Rabin-Havt is in for Thom Hartmann and discusses the first Democratic debate in tonight’s Progressive Roundtable and speaks with Climate Central’s Ben Strauss on climate change and radio host & activist Richard Eskow on the Republican’s push to cut social security.

Caller: Why Do Muslims Hate the USA so Much?

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton on Marijuana...

Caller: Anderson Cooper, Not Such a Great Moderator...

Bernie's 'Damn Emails' Remark - Helpful or Not?

Anderson Cooper - In the Bag for Hillary?

The Big Winner in Last Night's Debate: The Democratic Party!