UK Government Investments in Efficiency and Renewable Energy

The UK government is making massive investments in the green economy. Firms in the UK cleantech sector are benefiting tremendously from the government's investments in areas like efficiency and renewable energy.

The Indian Government is Supporting the Development of Electric and Hybrid Cars

The government of India is helping its automotive industry to develop greener vehicles by supporting hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs). The government of India's National Electric Mobility Mission will enable companies to develop batteries with lower running cost and maintenance.

“There are several players in India making different kind of electric vehicles but lack of infrastructure to charge these vehicles and the high-price of hybrid cars has prevented growth,” said Ambuj Sharma, joint-secretary, ministry of Heavy Industries.

In India hybrid vehicles cost twice the price of those powered by a combustion engine alone. The cost of EVs is particularly relevant in India, where higher costs have slowed the widespread adoption of greener cars.

The higher cost of battery technology represents a major obstacle to the growth of electric and hybrid vehicles. By investing in greener cars the government of India is capitalizing on an under-utilized segment and building an infrastructure that will generate economic growth and reduce emissions.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Government Energy Policy the Environment and the Economy
The G20 and the Green Economy
Global Trends 2025: A Greener World
Population Growth and Climate Change will Add to the World
China and India's Green Innovation and the Challenge for America
Copenhagen Accord: Global Emissions Cuts
Extreme Weather
Mobile Marketing: A Green Opportunity
Peak Water?
Green School in India: Shoolini

Green Jobs for America

Green Jobs for America is a national campaign to educate the public about the need for (government) investments in green jobs. This national educational initiative is led by Blue Green Alliance, United Steelworkers, Sierra Club and NRDC and other partners.

The realization that green jobs have a vital role to play in America's employment picture is nothing new. A 2008 report indicated that green jobs fight global warming and help put an end to America's dependence on fossil fuels.

The green jobs report was created by the University of Massachusetts' Political Economy Research Institute, it is titled, Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: A State-by-State Picture of Occupations that Gain from Green Investments. Read the full report (pdf)

The report examined 12 states and the people employed in occupations affected by six green economic strategies: building retrofitting, mass transit, energy-efficient automobiles, wind power, solar power and cellulosic biofuels. It also looked at what the average wages are in each state for these jobs.

The report indicates that millions of US workers, across a wide range of occupations, states, and income and skill levels, will benefit from efforts to transform the United States into a green economy. Read the national report and press release.

The Green Jobs for America campaign is at work in twelve states: Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
It is clear to all but the willfully ignorant, that millions of US workers will all benefit from transforming the United States into a green economy.

Related Posts
Government Incentives are Growing Renewable Energy
Hot Green Jobs for 2011 and Beyond
Green Stimulus Investments and Job Creation
Government Investment Green Jobs and Economic Recovery
Highlights of Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address: Clean Energy, EVs and Eliminating Oil Subsidies
Video: Green Jobs
Democrats the Environment and Green Jobs
Oakland's Green Jobs and Energy Initiatives
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Growth and Global Competition
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Manufacturing Issues
Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference
Dream Green Job Workshop
Sustainable Brands Conference 2011
Leading the Green Job Market with a Sustainable MBA
How to Land a Green Job
A Green Jobs Bill Will Have to Wait
The Green Job Market

Hot Green Jobs for 2011 and Beyond

Here is a review of some of the sectors and careers that will benefit from green jobs investments. According to a UNEP report, this includes, renewable energy, construction, transportation, food, agriculture, commodities, and forestry.

President Obama made his commitment to green jobs clear in his State of the Union Address. The US Department of Labor is working with the community, labor and industry to support green job growth.

Here are some of the areas where green careers are most in demand for 2011 and beyond:

Sustainable business management, recycling, solar energy, wind energy, smart grid, energy efficiency, retrofitting, green building, sustainable farming, sustainable forestry, conservation biology, bio-mimicry, green chemistry, public transportation, waste management, urban planning and sustainable systems development.

Many of these positions require special training. A large number of colleges and technical institutes offer complete career training. See The Green Market's Searchable Environmental Education Resources for a wide range of sustainable and green education options in the US and around the world. One of the best degrees with the widest applicability is a Green MBA.

Preparing for a job in these high growth fields increases employment, grows the economy and contributes to a healthier planet.


Related Posts
Government Incentives are Growing Renewable Energy
Green Jobs for America
Green Stimulus Investments and Job Creation
Government Investment Green Jobs and Economic Recovery
Highlights of Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address: Clean Energy, Electric Cars and Eliminating Oil Subsidies
Video: Green Jobs
Democrats the Environment and Green Jobs
Oakland's Green Jobs and Energy Initiatives
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Growth and Global Competition
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Manufacturing Issues
Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference
Dream Green Job Workshop
Sustainable Brands Conference 2011
Leading the Green Job Market with a Sustainable MBA
How to Land a Green Job
A Green Jobs Bill Will Have to Wait
The Green Job Market

Government Investment Green Jobs and Economic Recovery

Green jobs can fuel economic recovery. This is the logic behind President Obama's pledge to invest $150 billion to create 5 million green jobs in the US over the next 10 years.

The convergence of automation and globalization have permanently eliminated millions of jobs. High rates of unemployment are a function of a changing global economy.The green economy can create jobs and fuel the ongoing recovery.

Research from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) has indicated that transitioning to a sustainable, low-carbon economy can create millions of green jobs. The US Department of Labor has projected significant growth in green jobs between 2008-2018.

If these predictions are to materialize, governments will have to invest. This means governments will have to set and meet ambitious goals that will help to accelerate the growth of the green economy. President Obama made clear his commitment in his 2011 State of the Union address when he announced his desire to see America pursue clean energy, electric vehicles and an end to oil subsidies.


Related Posts
Government Incentives are Growing Renewable Energy
Green Jobs for America
Green Stimulus Investments and Job Creation
Hot Green Jobs for 2011 and Beyond
Highlights of Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address: Clean Energy, Electric Cars and Eliminating Oil Subsidies
Video: Green Jobs
Democrats the Environment and Green Jobs
Oakland's Green Jobs and Energy Initiatives
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Growth and Global Competition
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Manufacturing Issues
Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference
Dream Green Job Workshop
Sustainable Brands Conference 2011
Leading the Green Job Market with a Sustainable MBA
How to Land a Green Job
A Green Jobs Bill Will Have to Wait
The Green Job Market

Green Government Investments and Job Creation

The jobs creation potential of the green economy is staggering. In the US, President Obama has pledged $150 billion over 10 tears to create five million green-collar jobs.

Green-collar jobs are well paying positions that benefit the environment while cutting pollution and reducing waste.

According to Shari Shapiro, associate with Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP, the numbers show that green stimulus investments are among the most cost-effective ways to spend the Recovery Act dollars and create jobs.

Green industries include everything from renewable energy to electronics manufacturing.
We are entering an era of unprecedented growth in the green market, and this growth will supply millions of jobs. The emergence of green industries will also have a ripple effect that will create countless employment opportunities. These include teaching positions required to train people for their new roles in the emerging green economy.

Governments around the world are seeing green investments as a way of putting people to work and preparing for the future. At present, America is being outspent by many of the world's major powers. However, the green investments that President Obama outlined in his 2011 State of the Union Address would drive job creation.

Government investment in green job creation is a winning strategy. As government investment helps green industries to grow they would benefit from economies of scale and this would bring down costs. Greater competition would also drive innovation.


Related Posts
Government Incentives are Growing Renewable Energy
Green Jobs for America
Government Investment Green Jobs and Economic Recovery
Highlights of Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address: Clean Energy, Electric Cars and Eliminating Oil Subsidies
Hot Green Jobs for 2011 and Beyond
Video: Green Jobs
Democrats the Environment and Green Jobs
Oakland's Green Jobs and Energy Initiatives
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Growth and Global Competition
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Manufacturing Issues
Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference
Dream Green Job Workshop
Sustainable Brands Conference 2011
Leading the Green Job Market with a Sustainable MBA
How to Land a Green Job
A Green Jobs Bill Will Have to Wait
The Green Job Market

Highlights of Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address: Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles and Eliminating Oil Subsidies

President Barack Obama's State of the Union address focused on innovation, education and infrastructure. He also mentioned eliminating oil subsidies, as well as government investment in clean energy and electric vehicles (EVs).

Here are the environmental highlights of the speech:

“The future is ours to win but we cant get there by standing still....We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world, we need to make America the best place for doing business....that is how we win the future."

Infrastructure was a priority in the address, the President proposed “redoubling" infrastructure investments including high speed rail and high speed internet.

From an environmental point of view, the defining moment of the speech came when he said with emphasis, we will invest “especially in clean energy technology." He then showcased a solar start-up that reinvented itself. He continued saying, “Already, we're seeing the promise of renewable energy."

“Now, clean energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if businesses know there will be a market for what they're selling. So tonight, I challenge you to join me in setting a new goal: By 2035, 80 percent of America's electricity will come from clean energy sources," the President said.

He also indicated that he wants to see US leadership in EVs, so that America can be, “the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015."

Perhaps most importantly, to help find ways of paying for the governments green investments, he wants to eliminate oil subsidies.

Related Posts
Green Stimulus Investments and Job Creation
Government Investment Green Jobs and Economic Recovery
Hot Green Jobs for 2011 and Beyond
Video: Green Jobs
Democrats the Environment and Green Jobs
Oakland's Green Jobs and Energy Initiatives
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Growth and Global Competition
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Manufacturing Issues
Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference
Dream Green Job Workshop
Sustainable Brands Conference 2011
Leading the Green Job Market with a Sustainable MBA
How to Land a Green Job
A Green Jobs Bill Will Have to Wait
The Green Job Market

Korea's Green Growth and the New Expanison Paradigm

At the recent G20 meetings in Seoul, Korea put green on the the business summit agenda. The world wide recession propelled the global economy in a new direction, forcing many countries around the world to follow a new green expansion paradigm.

For sustainable and balanced development, governments are increasingly aware of the fact that green growth is the future of economic development.

In an interview with The Korea Times, Young Soo-gil, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Green Growth said, “The agenda for the summit will be crowded with other issues of pressing priorities to allow much discussion on green growth. The Korean G20 Summit Preparatory Committee is aiming for mainstream advancement on the agenda for the summit, and so ‘development’ will be a prominent theme.”

“This will hopefully allow President Lee Myung-bak to bring the attention of the G20 Leaders to the value of the theme of green growth as a catalyst for global cooperation in many development dimensions,” he added.

Young said that Korea is seeking to take a lead in the global green growth drive by sharing its knowledge and experience.

“Korea would like to help those developing countries harmonize their growth aspirations with the environmental ones by sharing its green growth tool kits and experiences, as well as by working together to undertake specific mitigation and adaptation projects in cost-effective and growth-friendly ways in individual countries,” he said.

“Korea is also willing to take leadership in the international efforts to help build physical infrastructures in the developing countries in climate-change resilient ways. For these purposes, Korea is to make green growth partnership a leading component of its increased ODA (Official Development Assistance) commitment as a new member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC),” he added.

As part of this effort, Korea has launched the East Asia Climate Partnership (EACP). Most significantly, on July 16 of this year, the Korean government launched a Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) based in Seoul.

“Korea hopes to develop GGGI into an international treaty-based institution by 2012 with support from other countries which share belief in the value of green growth as well as of sharing insights, know-how and experiences on it,” he said.

“The Green Growth Committee also hopes that Korea’s green growth inspirations will play a facilitating role in making a breakthrough over the issue of how to reconcile economic, social and environmental development objectives at the Rio plus 20 Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in 2012,” he added.

Related Posts
Video on Green Growth - Korea's Key to a Better Future
Green Stimulus: Global Green New Deal
Business for the Environment Global Summit
Korean (Hyundai & Kia) Greener Cars
Small Business, Green Technology and Creativity
UN Climate Change Initiatives Post Toronto
The Green Job Market
Global Cooperation Ahead of COP 15
The Way Forward
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Growth and Global Competition
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Manufacturing Issues and Recommendations
China's Green Stimulus, US/China Cooperation and Economic Recovery

Video on Green Growth - Korea's Key to a Better Future

With the recent G20 summit held in Seoul, Korea is taking the opportunity to show its leadership in the development of the green economy. This 6 minute video reviews green growth generally and then zeros in on Korea's efforts. The video contains a great introduction on green growth and the need for transnational wisdom.

The Presidential Committee on Green Growth of Korea announced on May 13 that the Korean government will invest about 12 trillion won (roughly US $9.5 billion) by 2013 in the development of green technology as part of the "Green New Deal" announced earlier this year.

Since his inauguration, President Lee Myung-bak has put green growth on top of the country's agenda. He has stressed the importance of the development of environment-friendly technologies that will boost Korea's economic competitiveness.

Related Posts
Korea's Green Growth and the New Expanison Paradigm
Green Stimulus: Global Green New Deal
Business for the Environment Global Summit
Korean (Hyundai & Kia) Greener Cars
Small Business, Green Technology and Creativity
UN Climate Change Initiatives Post Toronto
The Green Job Market
Global Cooperation Ahead of COP 15
The Way Forward
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Growth and Global Competition
Clean Tech Job Trends 2010 Report: Manufacturing Issues and Recommendations
China's Green Stimulus, US/China Cooperation and Economic Recovery

UN Hopeful about G20 Climate Finance

The Seoul G20 summit ended on 12 November, 2010. On November 9, Achim Steiner, the UN Undersecretary General and Executive Director of UNEP, wrote about the important role the G20 can play 'embedding a fundamental transition to a more sustainable global economy that looks beyond the current, narrow definition of wealth and GDP.'

The G20 has acted to stabilize banks and to counter the financial and economic crisis. Steiner hoped that the G20 meeting in Seoul could have been 'a watershed in international financial and economic affairs, where the pledge, made at the G20 in London, toward a green and more sustainable recovery moves from communique to concrete commitment.'

The G20 must deal with the important issues of averting economic crises similar to the recent recession and 'the even bigger and more complex ones emerging as a result of climate change, environmental degradation and unsustainable overexploitation of the planet’s natural assets.'

As Steiner pointed out, there are some very promising signs that more and more countries are understanding the urgency of the climate change crisis. Korea has earmarked close to 90 percent of its funds to a short- and long-term vision of green growth. The country’s leaders have also made the indivisible link between the leadership role of public policy making in terms of unleashing private sector investment into clean tech and other green sectors.

The costs associated with climate change are being factored into the thinking of an increasing number of banks and pension funds who are beginning to see rising risks to their investments from the loss of ecosystems. Increasingly people understand that the disruption to food supplies, supply chains and other challenges linked with natural resource losses are a much bigger threat than international terrorism.


Related Posts
The G20 and the Transition to a Greener Economy
The G20 and the Green Economy
Greenpeace's G20 Checklist
Spain Renews its Commitment to Clean Energy at the G20
UN Chief Asks G20 to Focus on a Sustainable Recovery
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity
G20 Summit in Toronto Ends with Little Action on Climate Change
G20 Must Cooperate for a Sustainable Recovery
G20 and Central Bank Governors Joint Communique
G20 Disagreements and Global Economic Reforms
Program and Plans for G8 and G20 Summits in Canada
UN Climate Change Initiatives Post Toronto
G20 Security Concerns Force Cancellation of Sustainable Supply Chain Event
G20 Protestors Dilute Green Message
Canadians Disappointed with Conservative's Lack of leadership at the Toronto G20 Summit
The G20 and the Developing World Disagree on Proposed Climate Change Protocols
Competing National Priorities
End Fossil Fuel Subsidies
Local Business Promotes Green Agenda for G20 in Pittsburgh
G20 Lays the Foundation for a Better World
Global Warming Exposes Resources but Arctic Meeting Leaves Some Out in the Cold
G8's More Aggressive GHG Targets