Then there's the R20 coalition - dozens of state, regional governments and NGOs have signed a founding charter to advance low-carbon projects together. Charter members are mostly from North America, Europe, Mexico and Africa.
A letter is circulating calling for leaders in climate science, social science, economics and public health, to form an independent, non-partisan initiative - to do what? To ensure that reliable scientific evidence is made relevant and useful to decision-makers at every level, including community leaders, business leaders and the general public. They will also debunk efforts to misrepresent the scientific consensus. The letter urges the scientific community to lend its full support to the initiative and thereby re-assert its role as the trusted broker of unbiased information that people on all sides of the issue can rely on.
Lastly, 56 faith-based organizations sent a joint letter calling on the U.S. Senate to leave the EPA's power in tact to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, including ozone emissions (smog).
The letter, which includes messages from the world's major faiths, begins: "As communities and people of faith, we are called to protect and serve God's great Creation and work for justice for all of God's people. We believe that the United States must take all appropriate and available actions to prevent the worst impacts of climate change; we therefore urge you to oppose any efforts to undermine the authority of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. We have seen various challenges to the CAA this session including Senator Rockefeller's proposal to delay regulation of greenhouse gases under the Environmental Protection Agency. We urge you to protect the Clean Air Act and allow the EPA to use the full strength of the law to ensure that God's Creation and God's children remain healthy."
Green Business Becoming Economic Engine
The nonprofit Next 10 and Collaborative Economics report that green manufacturing jobs in California grew 19% between 1995-2008, when overall manufacturing jobs there tumbled 9%. In the first half of 2010, California green business attracted almost $3 billion in venture capital. California is the top state for green technology patents with 450 patent registrations from 2007-2009 for solar, wind and advanced battery technologies.
The U.S. Commerce Department's Economics and Statistics Administration released a report "Measuring the Green Economy" - a first step toward measuring the size and composition of the emerging green economy and the number of green jobs it's created. The report is based on the 2007 Economic Census and finds that green products and services contributed 1-2% of US GDP, with revenues between $370-$516 billion in 2007. That year, there were 1.8 - 2.4 million green jobs, mostly in green services, not manufacturing. Energy efficiency, resource conservation and pollution control accounted for 80-90% of employment and revenue.
As further evidence that green business is becoming an economic engine, the launch of the first electric cars this year is already rippling beyond car manufacturers. In preparation for EVs, NRG Energy established a $10 million partnership of more than a dozen companies to create a charging station infrastructure in Houston, TX. The "eVgo" program will place chargers along major freeways, shopping and business districts, popular retailers and in community areas within 25 miles of the city center.
