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Will China and India Race Past America on Clean Energy?
OK, so did you catch the irony on this one? In Friday’s Washington Post, Economy and Business section:
- Top half of the page: Fed Sees Heightened Joblessness Drawing Out Recovery
- Bottom half of the page: Asian Nations Could Outpace U.S. in Developing Clean Energy
Hello… is anyone on Capitol Hill paying attention?
According to the Post, South Korea is planning to invest two percent of its Gross National Product every year for the next five years in renewables. India is planning on installing 20 gigawatts of solar power by 2020, three times as much as the entire world installed last year. And China now provides a $3-a-watt subsidy upfront for solar projects. According to Brian Fan of Cleantech Group, that’s “the most generous subsidy in the world” for solar power.
So the next time you hear an opponent of energy and climate legislation say, “Well what about China and India?” You can say, “Well what about us?” America is at risk of falling far behind these “clean tech tigers.”
I just keep shaking my head as I type these words! When will the naysayers walk up and realize that we need to start making the kinds of choices other countries are making to build a clean energy industry? When will they wake up and realize we have to pass meaningful climate and energy legislation now? Or we will take a pass on nearly two million new jobs in America?