New Zealand, Australia:

New Zealand is Embracing Renewable Power While Australia Goes Backwards (VICE)

The Wairakei Geothermal Power Plant. Image via Wiki Commons

As Australia further concretes its dependence on coal, New Zealand's recent investment in alternatives is already bearing fruit. Usually this time of year is wet and New Zealand's hydro-lakes would be full, but an unseasonably dry autumn has left reserves 30 percent lower than average. This would usually be cause for concern, but the country's backing of geothermal power means they're still pretty sweet.

The New Zealand Minister of Energy and Resources, Simon Bridges said the current geothermal renaissance puts the country in good stead to hit the target of 90 percent renewable generation by 2025. As Bridges boasted at the World Geothermal Congress, New Zealand is now the fifth largest geothermal power generator in the world.

Meanwhile, across the ditch in Australia, a country with more than five times the population and 28 times the land mass, the governing party seems increasingly fixated on fossil fuels.

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