Top 10 Clean Tech Stories of 2010
4. China Announces Plans to Connect Its High-Speed Rail to Europe’s
Separating this from some other China news, since it is international and is so completely huge, China announced in 2010 that it wants to connect its high-speed rail network (the largest in the world) to Europe’s high-speed rail network. And it’s already gotten to work making this happen. If this project is completed, it wil become the largest infrastructure project in the history of the world.
3. Massive Clean Energy Stimulus Bill within Extended Bush-Era Tax Cuts
After a ton of back and forth and citizen action at the end of the year, huge support for clean energy was included with the Bush era tax cut extensions. Despite the despicable tax cut extensions for the rich, the result of the deal Obama brokered was, according to one pundit, “the biggest stimulus in American history.” I was on a conference call with the head of the Solar Energy Industries Association and the American Wind Energy Association in the middle of all this and they spoke about it in basically the same way. It was a make or break for both industries and I’m sure we are all more than happy that it turned out to be a make.
2. Death of a U.S. Climate and Clean Energy Bill
Sorry, it isn’t all good news at the top here. As I wrote over on my Top 10 Global Weirding and Environmental Stories list:
Republican obstructionism, media’s horrible coverage of climate change, a lack of societal demand, and Obama’s weak approach to this topic are a few of the key reasons a climate and clean energy bill couldn’t make it through Congress in 2010, one of the most disappointing events of the year or of history, in general.
Of course, Republican opposition to a market-based method of action that party came up with years ago shows you how far we’ve come (or gone backwards) on addressing perhaps the most critical issue in human history.
1. China’s Continuous, Monumental Investment in Clean Tech
Yes, you saw that coming. China’s investment in clean tech is unprecedented, completely unparalleled, and will likely make China the global economic leader of the coming century or more. Also from my Top 10 Global Weirding and Environmental Stories list, here’s more:
From the continuous implementation of the world’s largest high-speed rail network with the fastest trains… to solar and wind energy projects that dwarf the biggest out there today, China’s investment in clean tech is absolutely astounding. At least one major country is focusing on this critical topic.
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