TECHNOLOGY: Report Warns of 'Asian Tigers' Surging Ahead
Summary posted by Meridian on 11/19/2009
Source: Climate Wire
Author: Saqib Rahim
A new report, released this week by the Breakthrough Institute and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), says the three "Asian Tigers" - China, South Korea, and Japan - are poised to take a global lead in clean technologies, and, if the United States doesn't increase its investment in this area, it will be left behind. The three countries will spend US$500 billion on clean technologies over the next three years, nearly triple the U.S. figure. Rob Atkinson, president of the ITIF and a co-author of the report, said "[W]e are and will be the world's leading consumer of clean energy technology. The problem is that demand will ultimately create supply, and supply doesn't necessarily have to be in the U.S." Firm government support for these technologies is the reason behind the thriving clean-energy industries in these countries, according to the report. The report recommends that the U.S. compile a national strategic plan, in which it channels research and development funds toward the specific technologies where it can grab a lead, and lets go of others. In a related development, the U.S. Department of Energy this week granted US$104 million to its national laboratories for research focused on making lighter materials for cars, improving batteries, and neutralizing buildings' energy use to net zero. The article can be viewed online at the link below.
The original article may still be available at www.eenews.net/climatewire/rss/2009/11/19/4
As tagged by Meridian Institute:
Energy:
Energy, Batteries, Climate Change
Implications:
Governance, Economic Competitiveness
Materials And Manufacturing:
Plastics, Manufacturing, Materials
Regions:
North America, East and South Asia and the Pacific
Stakeholders:
Government, Industry, Academia
Environment:
Green Nanotechnology
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