GUESS WHO’S DEVELOPING OUR GREEN ENERGY FUTURE

[ensho]

http://www.jimhightower.com/node/6735


If you want to see the bold future of alternative energy, don’t look to the relatively timid plan coming out of the Obama White House. Instead, look to the green revolution exploding out of the least likely place you could imagine: the Persian Gulf.

Yes, the oil-soaked monarchies of such Gulf States as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are designing, developing, funding, and building a visionary future of clean, renewable energy. It completely reconfigures the meaning of “ironic” to see these OPEC oligarchs become the pioneers of a green world – but there they are.

As Elizabeth Rosenthal reported in the New York Times on January 13, "They are aggressively pouring billions of dollars made in the oil fields into new green technologies. They are establishing billion-dollar clean-technology investment funds. And they are putting millions of dollars behind research projects at universities... and setting up green research parks."

In so doing, the Gulf States are becoming the world leader in alternative energy, a position that many assumed belonged to America. In just one small country, Abu Dhabi, the crown prince is investing $15 billion in renewables – as much as Obama has proposed for all of the United States.
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the more green we go, the more jobs there are

how green is Obama?

[Uncle Joe]

1. This is the price we've paid for being addicted to oil for so long,

ceding away leadership and ability to adapt.

The Gulf States are awash in oil money and apparently have the good sense to see the writing on the wall regarding the dead end future of depending on dead fuel.

I believe President Obama is doing the best he can with the weak hand, he inherited from his oil is God predecessor.

[CJCRANE]

2. Of course they are.

Their buddy Bush gave them a breathing space of 8 years to fill their coffers and get ready for the next economy.

Once this current economy hits rock bottom look for it to reconfigure and for the "green economy" to be the engine of growth. It's pretty f***ing obvious that this is the place to invest - just as obvious as investing in Big Oil and Halliburton should have been 8 years ago.

On edit: changed "would" to "should"

[NV Whino]

3. I've been screaming for years

for all the oil people to take their profits and invest in sustainable (or green if you choose to call it that) energy. They get in on the ground floor of a developing industry. They still make money and we get clean energy and a cleaner planet.

But noooo, the stupid fucks are too greedy pulling out every last farthing from a dying industry to do something sensible.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Yep, gotta milk us for every last cent in one way before they switch to a new way of doing it.

x(

[old mark]

5. This is not the way American business "thinks" - I worked at a

Bethlehem Steel plant for a while when i went to college, and I made remark to my foreman about broken windows I had seen in the shop. He told me that those windows had been broken since WWII and the company would never put a dime into the plant, they were only interested in getting every nickle out of it they possibly could no matter what.

They are completely out of business now and that former plant site is severaal various businesses and a future casino, and all the structural steel they made there at one time is now rusting away under bridges and buildings.

The oil compaznies are no different - shortsighted greed and overall stupidity run them all, every one. None of them care at all about this country of the future of this planet.

The Bush regime has screwed us all in ways we don't even know about yet...

mark

[Juche]

6. I thought it was China

Before I opened this thread I thought it'd be about China. But the fact that the Persian Gulf is also lapping us on renewable energy investment, wow.

A few years ago politicians used to complain that we shouldn't invest in renewables unless China & India did the same. And now countries like China are doing more to fight climate change than we are. Sad.

[nickinSTL]

7. well, it's smart business on their part...

I've been thinking for years that the oil industry should be pushing themselves to switch to alternative energy rather than clinging to their oil...so that they'll still be able to survive into the future (not that I have any love for oil companies...I'd be happy enough if they all went out of business - just that it would be smart business for them to do so)

[opihimoimoi]

8. "OUR Green Energy Future????" How is it OURS?

[JackRiddler]

12. Because we're all on the same planet, man.

[MadBadger]

9. CAPS LOCK MAN?

[JCMach1]

10. Masdar City, UAE

...Masdar will employ a variety of renewable power sources. Among the first construction projects will be a 40 to 60 megawatt solar power plant, built by the German firm Conergy, which will supply power for all other construction activity.<5><13> This will later be followed by a larger facility, and additional photovoltaic modules will be placed on rooftops to provide supplemental solar energy totalling 130 megawatts. Wind farms will be established outside the city's perimeter capable of producing up to 20 megawatts, and the city intends to utilise geothermal power as well.<5><14> In addition, Masdar plans to host the world's largest hydrogen power plant.<2>

Water management has been planned in an environmentally-sound manner as well. A solar-powered desalination plant will be used to provide the city's water needs, which is stated to be 60 percent lower than similarly sized communities.<2> Approximately 80 percent of the water used will be recycled and waste water will be reused "as many times as possible," with this greywater being used for crop irrigation and other purposes.<9><5>

The city will also attempt to reduce waste to zero. Biological waste will be used to create nutrient-rich soil and fertiliser, and some may also be utilised through waste incineration as an additional power source. Industrial waste, such as plastics and metals, will be recycled or re-purposed for other uses.<9>... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masdar_City

The World's first completely renewable city...

[ljm2002]

11. It does make sense when you think about it...

...first of all, from a business perspective: there's the old adage about realizing what business you're in. Carriage companies who realized they were actually in the transportation business, were able to adapt and survive. In this case, we have countries and companies who realize that they're not so much in the oil business as they are in the energy business, and they are making use of the money they have now to invest into adapting and surviving. Very sensible of them.

[Joe the Liberal]

13. Lol good one!...........

wait, what? you're not joking?........

wow this is a perfect example of "expect the unexpected", those Gulf states are the last countries I would have thought to start investing in renewable energy. The irony here is incredible, funny how things turn out.

[earth mom]

14. I R'ed this thread because it begs the question-How Green is Obama?

Not too green from the sound of it. x(

I wonder what Gore thinks about this turn of events?

And I wonder what Gore REALLY thinks of Obamas plans for alternative energy. :yoiks:

[LaurenG]

15. At least you didn't say halliburton.

:nuke:

[Native]

16. There was a 60 Minutes episode on this. Man I love that show.