July 8th, 2009
Has the U.S. already lost green tech to other nations?
Is it too late for the green tech boom in the U.S.? Is the nation now second-rate technologically? Did the eight years of aerobics during the Bush Administration leave the U.S. one lap behind nations actually in the running?
There are certainly lots of folks counting on a job and economic boom associated with alernative energy and green tech. A Pew Foundation study found green tech jobs were already incresasing faster than other segments of the economy, and that was in the decade before the current economic meltdown. Pew says there were nearly ten percent more green tech jobs in 1997 than ten years earlier. Nobody expects traditional auto firms to suddenly start hiring thousands in, say, 2012. Anbd how many more Wal-marts do we need? So will the green jobs materialize? Will there be enough to dent the many millions now unemployed or under-employed in America?
AMERICA LAGGING?
One mainstream pundit says the U.S. is already lagging, with only one-sixth of the leading greentech production facilities. That ranks the U.S. fourth behind Japan, China and the European Union. Heavy price to pay for eight years of partying with the fossil fuel folks, huh? Here’s this commentator’s personal recipe for how we catch up.
Our government fought for this global economy, thinking, I guess, that American companies and innate superiority would make us global champs in everything. Hah. We now dominate no sector of green tech. Like soccer–whichgt he rest of the world knows as football–we are now learning to play a game not natural to us. We are really champs at using resources faster than anyone else. But renewable? Sustainable? Puh-leeze, hand me that hamburger in the styrofoam box.
And our competitors are all around us, friend and foe. Like South Korea, putting 2% of its GDP into greentech. Course, they didnb;t have to run it past the U.S. Senate. But, no worries. South Korea only knows how to make TVs, DVDs and cars, right? Duh, does American industry know how to make any of those?
Besides our beloved politicians, there are other enemies lurking. Not just lobbyists but also bankers! Run for the hills. Investment bankers have their mitts on the green boom-to-be now.
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A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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