Part 2/10:
The statistics Hansen provides are alarming: with 21% of the population living below the poverty line and an astonishing 27% comprised of individuals born outside the United States, California grapples with an undeniable economic divide. This issue is mirrored in its energy sector, where, according to Hansen, a quarter of the populace struggles to pay their power bills amid soaring costs. He highlights the irony that while coastal elites advocate for green policies, they fail to create sustainable and reliable alternatives such as nuclear or natural gas energy. As a result, essential power plants have been shut down, and the state is left depending on volatile solar storage systems.