China Embraces Electric Car Market

Whenever the topic of Climate Change arises, with even my most skeptical of friends, there's always common ground to be found on subject of green economic opportunities. Sadly we can never come to an understanding as to why corporations haven't rushed to take the lead in these potentialy profitable, new green technologies.

Climate Progress points out that reducing oil imports saves the country billions and these technologies  ...have the potential to create 900,000 new jobs in the US for very $100 billion decrease in oil imports.

The solutions to climate change—ranging from renewable energy, to high-speed rail, to smartgrid investments, to sustainable biofuels—depend more on domestic resources, and also use more labor per dollar invested, than do fossil fuel alternatives

China is moving aggressively to capture leadership in solar, wind, high-speed rail, and other key clean energy solutions. But as recently as 1995, the US was the technology leader in wind and baseload solar”—solar thermal. US utilities today are purchasing these technologies from China, Denmark and Spain. By reassuming technology leadership, and adopting a policy framework to support clean, homegrown energy industries, the US can create new jobs by selling into an emerging, massive global market.

Well, here's a warning: Keep lying, dragging your feet and making excuses for not jumping on board in earnest and you will put western economies at a huge disadvantage to compete in world markets. An example is on display tomorrow at the Beijing Auto Show, where 95 electric cars will be unveiled. What's important here is that China surpassed the US in 2009 as the world's largest market for automoblies and many of the cars on display will come from a host of new and influential Chinese automakers including, China's biggest carmaker, SAIC Motor Corp, is expected to debut its E1 electric concept car and also present a hybrid version of the Roewe 750, which will be in mass production later this year.

If you want to capture those markets and those consumers you have to lead. By allowing corporations and their shills to obscure the science of Climate Change and prevent concrete steps from being taken you are effectively shipping jobs overseas and taking the very food off the tables of North Americans.