In the Clean Energy Poker Stakes, Obama Goes All-in

During his State of the Union Address last week, President Obama urged Congress to stimulate the renewable energy sector and pass clean energy tax credits, saying, "I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here."[2]

The president was referring to the decline in clean energy investments that the United States has experienced since losing the top spot to China in 2008. The United States has continued its steady decline, slipping to the third spot in 2010 as Germany surged to grab second place in what has become a three-horse race. China solidified its first-place rank in clean energy, attracting a record USD 54.4 billion in clean energy investments in 2010, followed by Germany, which doubled such investments to USD 41.2 billion, and the United States, which slipped to third place with USD 34 billion. Together, the three nations represent over half of the G-20 total of USD 113.4 billion.[3]

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Reynard is a Justmeans staff writer for Sustainable Finance and Corporate Social Responsibility. A former media executive with 15 years experience in the private and non-profit sectors, Reynard is the co-founder of MomenTech, a New York-based experimental production studio that explores transnational progressivism, neo-nomadism, post-humanism and futurism. He is also author of the blog 13.7 Billion Years, covering cosmology, biodiversity, animal welfare, conservation and ethical consumption. He is currently developing the Underground Desert Living Unit (UDLU), a sustainable single-family dwelling envisioned as a potential adaptation response to the future loss of human habitat due to the effects of anthropogenic climate change. Reynard is also a contributing author of "Biomes and Ecosystems," a comprehensive reference encyclopedia of the Earth's key biological and geographic classifications, to be published by Salem Press in 2013.