$36 trillion more needed in clean energy investments

By Tom Konrad (AltEnergyStocks): According to the just-released report "Who's Winning the Clean Energy Race?" from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the United States invested the most in Clean Energy of any country in 2011, retaking the lead from China, which had held the top sport for the last two years.

I believe it is wise from an environmental and economic viewpoint to invest in renewable energy projects. I believe the costs of fossil fuel based energy will continue to increase. Renewable energy is continuing to improve and when considering the negative externalities caused by oil, gas and coal and the continuing improvement in wind, solar and geothermal generation investment in renewable energy are going to payoff well for countries.

A flurry of recent reports on the renewable energy sector suggest that, while global investments are down from 2011 records, most of the major economies continue to support a low-carbon economy. China last year attracted more than $60 billion to its renewable energy sector, passing a U.S. market that saw a 37 percent decline during the same period.

Eurozone bureaucrats keep upping the ante as to how big a "firewall" is needed. And at every critical juncture, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has proven she is nothing but a liar. With every demand for additional firepower, comes an inevitable cave-in from Merkel supporting the move, no matter what she says in advance. Meanwhile, the entire idea that firewalls can accomplish anything is ludicrous, given the key point that no currency unions in the absence of fiscal unions cannot and will not work.

ByRichard Cox:In 2007, investments in alternative energy stocks started to achieve mainstream status. Republicans and Democrats forged agreements on global warming legislation, and many clean energy stocks were seen outperforming their benchmarks. The following year, these trends began to change, as the recession-causing Credit Crisis drove investors away from risky assets in fledgling industries and into more conventional safe havens.

In a new 700 page report by the International Energy Agency, Executive Director Maria van deer Hoeven has stated that governments and private investors must work much harder if they truly want to reduce global warming to acceptable levels.The IEA is calling for an extra $36 trillion of funding for clean energy projects by 2050, after claiming that current investment is just not enough.

Global rankings place the United States in the top spot for investment in clean energy in 2011, with over $48 billion in energy sector investments, including solar, biofuels and wind energy, up from $34 billion the year before.