Twenty years ago, an historic environmental summit in Rio de Janeiro produced groundbreaking treaties and high hopes that pressing issues would be addressed. But as organizers prepare for the Rio+20 conference in June, there is little on the agenda to suggest any substantive action will be taken. (more…)

There is a looming battle over the cost of energy between the ‘green at any cost’ versus the ‘green enough at a reasonable cost’ where wind/solar forces will battle natural gas—you can sense the fog of war ahead as the battle is being set up. The graphic above from a recent GTM Research report shows the reality in clear focus. (more…)

White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley visited Los Angeles to discuss the Obama Administration's commitment to harnessing clean energy opportunities to create American jobs on Friday, July 22.  She met with business leaders, city officials and top educators (more…)

Over the past year or so, I’ve written a few pieces on the levels of job creation that can be expected as we “go green,” i.e., move to greater levels of energy efficiency, renewables, electric transportation, etc.

Last week I met Tom Konrad, one of the world’s most visible proponents of the green economy, at a (more…)

For the past 40 years, Denmark has been synonymous with world-class green high-tech solutions. It began with wind technology as a solution to the 1970s oil crisis, but since then the Danish cleantech sector has evolved and now offers technologies within all types of sustainable energy, climate-friendly (more…)

The United States is at a precipice with respect to public motivators for the green economy. Essentially, the carrot of public incentives or investment and the stick of potential mandatory regulation of carbon emissions are slated for elimination at the same time. 

Although we cannot know what this two part (more…)

California’s energy-efficiency policies will create over 200,000 jobs by 2020, but the state could be creating more and better-quality jobs.

The Don Vial Center on Employment in the Green Economy, part of the University of California-Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, released a (more…)

Michigan is quickly looking to make its position as one of the frontrunners for cleantech. Through numerous initiatives, investments, tax incentives, various research and development firms, and the creation of clean technologies, it is obvious that cleantech has had an impact on the way Michigan looks at renewable energy. Michigan is quickly becoming a frontrunner (more…)

A new report by the United Nations Environment Program says that moving towards a green economy is the most effective way to reduce worldwide poverty

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) released a report last week arguing the risks we face today are much different from what they were 50 years ago. The (more…)

To attract or to grow? That may not have been Hamlet’s question, but it is the question of the dozens of states trying to build clean tech clusters across America today. As Governor’s offices, Mayors, Chambers of Commerce, and other economic development organizations try to turn their regions into the economic engines of the green economy, they must (more…)