The economic and health impact of renewable energy in the U.S. are unparalleled, as greenhouse gas emission levels continue to decrease. A report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California states that increased wind and solar energy generation resulted in “3,000 to 12,700 avoided premature mortalities.” The report further noted that the U.S. saw a 20 percent drop in carbon dioxide, while fine particulate pollutants decreased to 46 percent.

These “cumulative climate benefits” from wind and solar energy spurred significant changes in energy use, agricultural productivity, and general ecosystem services. Economically, renewable energy continues to generate investments around the globe and drive job creation. At present, the industry employs more people than the fossil fuel industry does. To put into perspective, it number is at an all-time high: more than Apple, Facebook, and Google combined.

Stanford University’s atmosphere and energy program released a roadmap to a fossil fuel- and nuclear energy-free world where 139 nations could be 80 percent complete by 2030 and entirely committed to renewable sources by 2050. This would stabilize energy prices and create “over 24 million long-term full-time jobs by these plans,” professor Mark Jacobson, one of the co-authors of the report, said.

Committing to renewable energy sources will also address the problems of air and water pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants, which are linked to public health issues. A Harvard University study estimated life cycle costs and public health effects of coal amounting to $74.6 billion. Clean energy technologies generate electricity with no associated air pollution emissions.