The good news:
Costa Rica has set a new world record by becoming the first country to rely solely on renewable energy for 75 consecutive days. Costa Rica derives four-fifths of its energy from hydroelectric sources – but has been able to dispense with fossil fuels entirely this year, owing to the heavy rain that has been keeping its hydroelectric plants going strong. It also relies on geothermal plants, wind and solar power, and has relatively low energy requirements because of its small population (4.9 million) and an economy mainly based on agriculture and tourism. It aims to be carbon neutral by 2021. (The Week, March 2015)

The not-so-good news:
In Oklahoma the incidence of earthquakes of a magnitude of 3.0 or more has risen from practically none to two a day. About ten barrels of water are pumped up for every barrel of oil; the resulting water is pumped down disposal wells, although the oil men have no idea where that water is going, except a lot of it is pumped into basement rock, or near fault lines, causing earthquakes of increasing severity. These man-made quakes have been felt in Ohio, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas and Texas, as well as Oklahoma. Thus we foul our environment trying to find fossil fuels.

Oklahoma is effectively owned by the oil barons. The governor (and all state employees) not only deny that fracking is causing the earthquakes, but blame drought and deny climate change. There are no rules about drilling into basement rock, and oil companies can just come onto your land and drill; there is nothing you can do about it. Meanwhile, the oil industry funds “studies” to “prove” that climate change is natural. Do they really imagine that the tons of gunk we have been pouring into the Earth’s atmosphere since (approx) the 1780’s has had no effect? Where do they think it goes? To the moon? No one answers the question – it is too embarrassing.

Epicurus never told us not to foul our own nest, but then it probably never occurred to him that we were going to, or would be so stupid.