How Much Energy Does the US Use?

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Monika Bauerlein,
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The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising. We need to raise $300,000 quickly, and we need more online readers to pitch in than have been. Please learn more in "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," where we go into the brutal economics of journalism, and what makes Mother Jones unique and worth supporting if you can right now.

This story first appeared on the Atlantic website and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

We all know the U.S. consumes a massive amount of energy but it’s hard to wrap your head around the numbers. How much do we rely on oil? Do renewable resources make up a significant portion of our energy use? In the two-minute video above, Alexis Madrigal, The Atlantic‘s senior technology editor, walks through the key energy sources we depend on, from coal to wind and beyond. The facts and figures come to life with animation by Lindsey Testolin, a San Francisco-based artist.

This episode kicks off a six-part video series—a component of The User’s Guide to Energy special report. Don’t miss Madrigal’s introduction to the project and see Kyle Thetford’s “The US Energy Picture” for a more in-depth look at how the landscape is changing.