US Green Energy Fail

by Steven D

Here's we in the United States should be doing now to keep up with the rest of the world's investment in research and development of green energy technologies:

The United States needs to more than triple its spending on energy research, development and demonstration projects, from about $5 billion now to $16 billion, and should review  national energy policy every four years, an advisory group of scientists and engineers said in a report to President Obama this week.

The US is falling behind almost every other major developed country in the world.  Look at this chart from 2007 that shows R & D spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product:

continued at Daily Kos....

Slouching Towards Ecotopia

by Dauphin

After reading Jerome a Paris' optimistic diary (the previous-to-last one) it got me thinking about social and economic processes which may ensure that, when all's said and done, we end up with sustainable economies, hopefully in time to avert the worst of global warming.

This may turn into a diary series, if there is interest. Since it's rattled around my head for a while, I'll address the oil issue in the first diary of the potential series.

continued at Daily Kos....

California Technology – Help Jerry Brown

by Sara R

I first came to California in 1966 as a nine year old child.  My father was finishing his time in the Air Force at Vandenberg AFB before taking a job in the aerospace industry in Southern California.

Southern California was aerospace central in those days.  We were going to the moon, discovering how to walk in space, and developing new passenger aircraft, to boot.  In the wake of all this, many new products were developed.  It was a boom time, a time of good jobs.  I remember it fondly.

continued at Daily Kos....

GOP Wrong: Green Means More Jobs Now

by Steven D

Who could have predicted that while other manufacturing jobs declined, jobs in green industries increased in California, the state with some of the toughest environmental laws?  What a shock, eh?

In a study released Wednesday, Palo Alto-based nonprofit Next 10 and Collaborative Economics Inc. of Mountain View found that manufacturing jobs in the state's green sector grew by 19 percent between 1995 and 2008.

The increase came at the same time that overall manufacturing jobs in California tumbled 9 percent.

Furthermore, who could have known that venture capitalists, seeing California's "friendly" climate for green technologies would invest billions of dollars into growing that part of California's manufacturing sector?

(cont.)

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Don't Let Big Oil Kill Clean Energy in California

by Steven D

Proposition 23 is the referendum measure in California which would eliminate suspend the state law, the Global Warming Solutions Act (a/k/a AB 32), that calls for lowering California's greenhouse gas emissions until California's unemployment rate hits 5.5% (well that is effectively the elimination of the law).  That law was passed with Republican Arnold Schwartzenegger's active support in 2006.

Not too long ago the polls indicated that Californians rejected Proposition 23 by roughly a 60 to 40 margin.  That was back at the end of July.  Now however, since the infusion of big corporate cash and ad buys from Big Oil, such as the Koch Brothers (which I wrote about HERE), a new poll has been released are showing that the likely voters who are willing to vote for Prop 23 is now roughly equal to those opposed to its passage.

continued at Daily Kos....