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Fact Check: People keep claiming that green energy isn’t green and that it’s a financial agenda. What evidence i...

Fact Check: People keep claiming that green energy isn’t green and that it’s a financial agenda. What evidence i...

Published May 13, 2025
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# The Claim: "People keep claiming that green energy isn’t green and that it’s a financial agenda. What evidence is there in support of green energy?"...

The Claim: "People keep claiming that green energy isn’t green and that it’s a financial agenda. What evidence is there in support of green energy?"

Introduction

The claim suggests that there are ongoing debates about the legitimacy of green energy, with some asserting that it is not as environmentally friendly as portrayed and is driven by financial motives. This article aims to explore the evidence supporting green energy, examining various studies and reports that address its environmental and economic impacts, while also considering the skepticism surrounding these claims.

What We Know

  1. Green Energy and Economic Growth: Research indicates a positive relationship between green finance and economic growth. A study analyzing data from 52 countries found that green finance plays a crucial role in promoting green growth, suggesting that investments in renewable energy can lead to economic benefits 2.

  2. Impact of Green Bonds: A study focused on OECD countries found that green bond financing correlates positively with renewable energy performance indices. This suggests that financial instruments specifically designed for green projects can effectively support the growth of renewable energy sectors 3.

  3. Environmental Benefits: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlines that local governments can significantly reduce their carbon footprints by utilizing renewable energy sources. This indicates a direct environmental benefit from the adoption of green energy 5.

  4. Economic Contributions from Renewable Energy: According to a report from Yale University, renewable energy development on public lands has generated substantial economic benefits, including over $660 million in rent and royalty payments in 2019 6.

  5. Global Investment Needs: The United Nations estimates that approximately $4.5 trillion annually needs to be invested in renewable energy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This underscores the financial scale of transitioning to green energy 10.

Analysis

The evidence supporting green energy's benefits is substantial, particularly in terms of its economic and environmental impacts. However, the sources must be critically evaluated for credibility and potential biases:

  • Academic Studies: Articles from peer-reviewed journals (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 7, 8) provide rigorous analyses and are generally reliable due to their methodological transparency. However, the complexity of their methodologies, such as regression analyses, may not be easily interpretable for all audiences, which could lead to misinterpretation of their findings.

  • Government Reports: The EPA's report (5) is a credible source, as it is produced by a governmental body tasked with environmental protection. However, it may have an inherent bias towards promoting renewable energy as part of its mandate.

  • Economic Analysis: The Yale report (6) provides concrete data on the economic benefits of renewable energy but may not fully account for the broader environmental costs associated with energy production, such as land use changes and resource extraction.

  • International Organizations: The United Nations report (10) is a reliable source due to its global perspective and comprehensive data. However, it may also reflect a pro-renewable agenda, as the organization advocates for climate action.

While these sources provide a wealth of information supporting green energy, the skepticism surrounding the claim that green energy is not genuinely green often stems from concerns about the lifecycle impacts of renewable technologies, such as resource extraction for solar panels or wind turbines, and the financial motivations behind green finance initiatives.

Conclusion

Verdict: True

The evidence presented supports the claim that green energy has significant environmental and economic benefits. Key findings include the positive correlation between green finance and economic growth, the effectiveness of green bonds in promoting renewable energy, and substantial economic contributions from renewable energy projects. Additionally, the U.S. EPA highlights the potential for local governments to reduce carbon footprints through renewable energy adoption.

However, it is essential to acknowledge the nuances surrounding this verdict. While the benefits of green energy are well-documented, concerns remain about the lifecycle impacts of renewable technologies and the financial motivations behind green initiatives. The complexity of the methodologies used in some studies may also lead to misinterpretations, and potential biases in government and international reports should be considered.

Readers should be aware of these limitations and critically evaluate the information presented. The ongoing discourse around green energy underscores the importance of continued research and transparency in the field to ensure that the transition to renewable energy is both environmentally and economically sustainable.

Sources

  1. Analyzing nonlinear and asymmetric effects of green finance and ... (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11367541/)
  2. The impact of green finance on green growth: The role ... (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11388371/)
  3. Money grows on green energy: Financing a sustainable power future - PMC (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10999865/)
  4. Exploring the impact of renewable energy on economic growth and carbon emissions: Evidence from partial least squares structural equation modeling - PMC (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10712851/)
  5. Local Renewable Energy Benefits and Resources | US EPA (https://www.epa.gov/statelocalenergy/local-renewable-energy-benefits-and-resources)
  6. Key Economic Benefits of Renewable Energy on Public Lands (https://cbey.yale.edu/research/key-economic-benefits-of-renewable-energy-on-public-lands)
  7. Determinants of green energy investment—financial drivers and ... (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-04760-9)
  8. Green finance and renewable energy: A worldwide evidence - ScienceDirect (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140988322006284)
  9. Green Energy's Impact on the Economy (https://www.business.com/articles/the-impact-of-green-energy-on-the-economy/)
  10. Renewable energy – powering a safer future | United Nations (https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/renewable-energy)

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Fact Check: Autistic Non-Verbal Episodes in Marriage: Why Words Vanish Sometimes and What to Do About It Neurodiverse Couples Tuesday, august 12, 2025. Here’s the scene: You’re in the middle of a conversation with your spouse. Maybe the topic is small (“Did you pay the water bill?”) or monumental (“Are we happy?”). And then—without warning—your autistic partner’s voice disappears. No yelling, no slammed doors. Just… gone. You’re left holding the conversational steering wheel while they’ve quietly climbed into the trunk. If you’ve never lived with high-functioning autism, this can be tragically misconstrued as stonewalling or contempt. It isn’t. It’s just neurology pulling the emergency brake. Why This Happens: The Science Without the Lab Coat Smell For autistic adults, losing speech under stress is often a shutdown—a form of nervous system overload that knocks language production offline. Think of it like your phone freezing: all the apps are still there, but none of them open when you tap. Research calls this autistic burnout when it happens in a longer, chronic cycle—linked to masking (Hull et al., 2017; Raymaker et al., 2020). Masking is the art of “performing normal” so well that non-autistic people think you’re fine. The issue is that it eats through your energy reserves like a car idling in traffic with the A/C on full blast (Mantzalas et al., 2022). Eventually, one hard conversation can tip you from functional to frozen. And here’s where couples therapy meets neuroscience: physiological flooding—the body’s fight/flight/freeze switch—is a known relationship killer (Malik et al., 2019; Gottman Institute, 2024). In other words, for some autistic partners, flooding may tend to show up sooner, last longer, and is more likely to pull the plug on speech entirely. The Danger Loop in Marriage Autistic partner goes non-verbal — brain says “nope.” Non-autistic partner reads it as avoidance — brain says “attack.” Pressure increases — “Just say something.” Shutdown deepens — and now you’ve both lost. Do that a few hundred times and you’ll start conflating a physiological response into a moral failing. That’s the real marriage-killer. The Protocol: Three Phases, Zero Guesswork This is where we get practical. You can’t “love away” a temporary shutdown, but you can stop it from turning into World War III. Before: Build the Net Name the state. Agree on a phrase or signal ( I call this a couple code)—such as “words offline,” “shutdown,” a hand over the heart. The point is to make the invisible visible. The Shutdown Card. A literal card that says: I can’t speak right now. Please lower lights, reduce sound, give me X minutes. I promise I will circle back. The Pause Rule. Require a minimum of 20 minutes before resuming any tough talk. Autistic partner may need 90+. Agree ahead of time. Downgrade Kit. the usual gear; earplugs, soft light, weighted blanket, fidget, a quiet room. You know, human decency in object form. Reduce Daily Load. Avoid heavy talks right after work or big social events. Chronic overload makes a nervous shutdown more probable. During: Do Less, Better Autistic Partner: Give the signal. Exit stimulation. Switch channels if possible (text, notes app, yes/no cards). Send a short pre-written message: “Safe, can’t talk, back at 8:15.” Non-Autistic Partner: Acknowledge once—“Got it, I’m with you.” Hold the pause boundary. Lower stimuli. Go regulate your own nervous system—walk, journal, pet the dog. Don’t rehearse comebacks. Both: Avoid sarcasm, interrogation, ultimatums. Nothing lengthens a shutdown like moral outrage. After: Close the Loop Check in: “Are you ready to talk, or should we start in text?” Debrief: Identify triggers and what helped. Solve the actual problem. No conflict gets left to rot in the corner. Spot burnout early. If shutdowns start clustering, it’s time to reduce demands, not double them. How This Isn’t Stonewalling Stonewalling is a choice. Shutdown is a lockout. Stonewalling says, “I won’t talk to you.” Shutdown says, “I can’t talk to you yet, but I will.” The key difference? Repair intention. A shutdown protocol builds that right into the process. The Ten-Minute At-Home Drill Co-create your signal and card. Agree on a pause window. Pack the downgrade kit. Rehearse the exchange (“Got it, I’m with you.”). Check in weekly to tweak the system. Remember, you’re not aiming for zero shutdowns. You’re aiming for shorter, kinder, safer ones. Why This Works Because it matches lived autistic experience (Raymaker et al., 2020; Lewis et al., 2023). Because it honors nervous system limits instead of punishing them (Malik et al., 2019). Because it lets both partners keep their dignity and still solve the problem. In other words: you’re building a marriage that can survive the occasional moments when the words are gone for the time being. Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed. REFERENCES: Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Petrides, K. V. (2017). “Putting on my best normal”: Social camouflaging in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Autism, 21(5), 611–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316671012 Raymaker, D. M., Teo, A. R., Steckler, N. A., Lentz, B., Scharer, M., Delos Santos, A., … & Nicolaidis, C. (2020). “Having all of your internal resources exhausted beyond measure and being left with no clean-up crew”: Defining autistic burnout. Autism in Adulthood, 2(2), 132–143. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0079 Mantzalas, J., Richdale, A. L., Adikari, A., Lowe, J., & Dissanayake, C. (2022). What Is Autistic Burnout? A thematic analysis of posts on two online platforms. Autism in Adulthood, 4(1), 52–65. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0079 Lewis, L. F., et al. (2023). The lived experience of meltdowns for autistic adults. Autism, 27(7), 1787–1799. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221145783 Malik, J., et al. (2019). Emotional flooding in response to negative affect in romantic relationships. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 18(4), 327–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332691.2019.1641188 Gottman Institute. (2024, March 4). Making sure emotional flooding doesn’t capsize your relationship. Retrieved from https://www.gottman.com/blog/making-sure-emotional-flooding-doesnt-capsize-your-relationship/

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Autistic Non-Verbal Episodes in Marriage: Why Words Vanish Sometimes and What to Do About It Neurodiverse Couples Tuesday, august 12, 2025. Here’s the scene: You’re in the middle of a conversation with your spouse. Maybe the topic is small (“Did you pay the water bill?”) or monumental (“Are we happy?”). And then—without warning—your autistic partner’s voice disappears. No yelling, no slammed doors. Just… gone. You’re left holding the conversational steering wheel while they’ve quietly climbed into the trunk. If you’ve never lived with high-functioning autism, this can be tragically misconstrued as stonewalling or contempt. It isn’t. It’s just neurology pulling the emergency brake. Why This Happens: The Science Without the Lab Coat Smell For autistic adults, losing speech under stress is often a shutdown—a form of nervous system overload that knocks language production offline. Think of it like your phone freezing: all the apps are still there, but none of them open when you tap. Research calls this autistic burnout when it happens in a longer, chronic cycle—linked to masking (Hull et al., 2017; Raymaker et al., 2020). Masking is the art of “performing normal” so well that non-autistic people think you’re fine. The issue is that it eats through your energy reserves like a car idling in traffic with the A/C on full blast (Mantzalas et al., 2022). Eventually, one hard conversation can tip you from functional to frozen. And here’s where couples therapy meets neuroscience: physiological flooding—the body’s fight/flight/freeze switch—is a known relationship killer (Malik et al., 2019; Gottman Institute, 2024). In other words, for some autistic partners, flooding may tend to show up sooner, last longer, and is more likely to pull the plug on speech entirely. The Danger Loop in Marriage Autistic partner goes non-verbal — brain says “nope.” Non-autistic partner reads it as avoidance — brain says “attack.” Pressure increases — “Just say something.” Shutdown deepens — and now you’ve both lost. Do that a few hundred times and you’ll start conflating a physiological response into a moral failing. That’s the real marriage-killer. The Protocol: Three Phases, Zero Guesswork This is where we get practical. You can’t “love away” a temporary shutdown, but you can stop it from turning into World War III. Before: Build the Net Name the state. Agree on a phrase or signal ( I call this a couple code)—such as “words offline,” “shutdown,” a hand over the heart. The point is to make the invisible visible. The Shutdown Card. A literal card that says: I can’t speak right now. Please lower lights, reduce sound, give me X minutes. I promise I will circle back. The Pause Rule. Require a minimum of 20 minutes before resuming any tough talk. Autistic partner may need 90+. Agree ahead of time. Downgrade Kit. the usual gear; earplugs, soft light, weighted blanket, fidget, a quiet room. You know, human decency in object form. Reduce Daily Load. Avoid heavy talks right after work or big social events. Chronic overload makes a nervous shutdown more probable. During: Do Less, Better Autistic Partner: Give the signal. Exit stimulation. Switch channels if possible (text, notes app, yes/no cards). Send a short pre-written message: “Safe, can’t talk, back at 8:15.” Non-Autistic Partner: Acknowledge once—“Got it, I’m with you.” Hold the pause boundary. Lower stimuli. Go regulate your own nervous system—walk, journal, pet the dog. Don’t rehearse comebacks. Both: Avoid sarcasm, interrogation, ultimatums. Nothing lengthens a shutdown like moral outrage. After: Close the Loop Check in: “Are you ready to talk, or should we start in text?” Debrief: Identify triggers and what helped. Solve the actual problem. No conflict gets left to rot in the corner. Spot burnout early. If shutdowns start clustering, it’s time to reduce demands, not double them. How This Isn’t Stonewalling Stonewalling is a choice. Shutdown is a lockout. Stonewalling says, “I won’t talk to you.” Shutdown says, “I can’t talk to you yet, but I will.” The key difference? Repair intention. A shutdown protocol builds that right into the process. The Ten-Minute At-Home Drill Co-create your signal and card. Agree on a pause window. Pack the downgrade kit. Rehearse the exchange (“Got it, I’m with you.”). Check in weekly to tweak the system. Remember, you’re not aiming for zero shutdowns. You’re aiming for shorter, kinder, safer ones. Why This Works Because it matches lived autistic experience (Raymaker et al., 2020; Lewis et al., 2023). Because it honors nervous system limits instead of punishing them (Malik et al., 2019). Because it lets both partners keep their dignity and still solve the problem. In other words: you’re building a marriage that can survive the occasional moments when the words are gone for the time being. Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed. REFERENCES: Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Petrides, K. V. (2017). “Putting on my best normal”: Social camouflaging in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Autism, 21(5), 611–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316671012 Raymaker, D. M., Teo, A. R., Steckler, N. A., Lentz, B., Scharer, M., Delos Santos, A., … & Nicolaidis, C. (2020). “Having all of your internal resources exhausted beyond measure and being left with no clean-up crew”: Defining autistic burnout. Autism in Adulthood, 2(2), 132–143. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0079 Mantzalas, J., Richdale, A. L., Adikari, A., Lowe, J., & Dissanayake, C. (2022). What Is Autistic Burnout? A thematic analysis of posts on two online platforms. Autism in Adulthood, 4(1), 52–65. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0079 Lewis, L. F., et al. (2023). The lived experience of meltdowns for autistic adults. Autism, 27(7), 1787–1799. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221145783 Malik, J., et al. (2019). Emotional flooding in response to negative affect in romantic relationships. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 18(4), 327–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332691.2019.1641188 Gottman Institute. (2024, March 4). Making sure emotional flooding doesn’t capsize your relationship. Retrieved from https://www.gottman.com/blog/making-sure-emotional-flooding-doesnt-capsize-your-relationship/

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Fact Check: People keep claiming that green energy isn’t green and that it’s a financial agenda. What evidence i... | TruthOrFake Blog