This post, by Jerry J. Toman, ScM, ChE examines five policies that are setting our future up for failure. They are: Reliance on the old-time political religion of economic growth (usually defined as by economists as GDP growth); Continue to practice incrementalism above all else, as the dominant means of solving the problems; Embarking willy-nilly into mega-projects that utilize technologies that often are half-baked in terms of knowing what the overall costs, impacts and benefits would be; Ignoring the “carbon balance” aspects of current practices and future remedies; and relying on technologies that involve extensive “mining” of the earth’s solid surface for minerals, as a means to achieve sustainability.
A survey of 140 mayors from 40 states also highlights concern over potential financial obstacles for infrastructure projects, according to a study sponsored by Siemens for The U.S. Conference of Mayors. A majority of cities (77%) report their infrastructure budget for 2009 has been adversely affected by the global economic crisis. However, nearly two-thirds of all U.S. mayors surveyed believe that fighting climate change with technological innovation represents a “enormous” economic opportunity. Optimizing the infrastructure of cities is considered a major way to address global warming and environmental protection. Mayors of larger cities, in particular, viewed the expansion of public mass transit as a key way to fight climate change.
The Pew Charitable Trusts has conducted the first-ever hard count across all 50 states of the actual jobs, companies and venture capital investments that supply the growing market demand for environmentally friendly products and services. The study, entitled The CleanEconomy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America, revealed that the number of jobs in America’s emerging clean energy economy grew nearly two and a half times faster than overall jobs between 1998 and 2007.
Promoting the widespread use of energy efficient lighting is one of the best strategies available to increase our energy efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint. Around 25% of the electricity we consume is consumed to light our homes and buildings. Both LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) use far less electricity per lumen (which is a measure of the amount of light produced) than do incandescent bulbs.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently selected 33 Colorado community leaders to participate in its 2009 Executive Energy Leadership program (Energy Execs). The leadership program is focused on educating business and government leaders about clean energy solutions that can boost the local economy. The six-month leadership program gives executives from Colorado-based businesses, government entities, universities, and economic development and non-profit organizations an in-depth look at solar and wind power, biofuels and transportation, and energy efficient building technologies. Briefings by technology experts, research laboratory tours and visits to field applications are part of the monthly classroom experience.
Speaking in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he was touring a manufacturer of geothermal heating pumps (GHPs) U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced nearly $50 million from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to advance the commercial deployment of this proven energy efficiency technology.
In recent times, junk economics has replaced junk science as the cause of inaction on climate change issues. The case for inaction is no longer argued on the grounds of skepticism about the science; instead, some claim that it is too expensive to take more than token action on key initiatives. In response to this trend, more than 100 of the country’s leading economists have banded together to launch RealClimateEconomics.org, an effort dedicated to using the weight of economic evidence to support effective public policy and business responses to the climate crisis. RealClimateEconomics.org is inspired by the success of RealClimate.org, a longtime effort by climate scientists to dispel the junk science popularized by climate skeptics.
By Tracey de Morsella on Comments Off on Renewable Energy Investment Surpassed Fossil Fuel Investment in 2008
According to a new report put out yesterday by the United Nations, 2008 was a year of record-breaking investment for renewables. energy garnered more investments than fossil fuels. While wind power got the lion’s share of the investments, solar experienced the largest gains and geothermal saw the largest growth. The Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2009 Report estimates that $155 billion was invested in 2008 in clean energy companies and projects worldwide – not including large hydro.
Dr. Gabriel Alvarez from King Juan Carlos University authored a May 2009 study entitled “Study of the effects on employment of public aid to renewable energy sources” (KJCU Study). Dr. Alvarez has tried repeatedly to correlate the Spanish investment and experience with Renewable Energy technologies (RETs) with that of the U.S. However, even cursory analyses of the Spanish public policies that have been employed over the past decade reveal significant and dramatic differences from the current and proposed domestic (U.S.) approach to RET deployment, and thereby obviate any implied correlation between the negative conclusions of the KJCU Study and the impact of the domestic RET investment. Additionally, included within the KJCU Study are several assumptions with respect to the economics of the U.S. investment inRETs that are fundamentally incorrect.
