skip to main content

U.S. Now Trails Both Germany and China in Clean Energy Investment

Discover the growing concerns over clean energy investment as the U.S. falls behind China and Germany in the global clean energy industry.

Written byChris Mooney
| 1 min read
Follow on GoogleGoogle News Preferred Source
Placeholder image

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

Placeholder image showing Earth from space with an alert icon and the message ‘This image is no longer available.’

Via Joe Romm, I see that our nation's competitive disadvantage in clean energy investment is getting even more...disadvantageous. Each year, Pew does a report to survey this booming global industry. Last year, the report (covering developments in 2009) found that we'd slipped behind China, "the world's clean energy "superpower--but this year, the report (covering developments in 2010) finds that we're now also behind Germany, which is racing ahead in rooftop solar installations. Overall, China saw $ 54.4 billion in clean energy investment in 2010, Germany saw $ 41.2 billion in investment, and the U.S. saw $ 34 billion. Our unfavorable political and policy environment, of course, is a key factor in driving this outcome.

Meet the Author

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe