Bill Ritter, former Colorado Governor argues well but surprisingly enough the Clean Energy Investor does not. This debate is the epitome of why support for clean energy has been weak for the last 20 years.
Only now under Obama is there momentum gaining.
Both sides of this debate discuss the clean energy variable in the US economic recovery as it relates to GDP, some monolithic figure without considering the distribution of wealth within GDP in a clean energy economy versus one powered almost exclusively by OIL.
Clean energy will support the rise of individual and small business wealth as opposed to the giant monopolistic mega energy companies BP, Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobile, etc. Clean energy will support local community driven spending rather than concentrated wealth of a few individuals and companies far away from our neighborhoods.
Can Clean Energy Drive The Economic Recovery?
President Obama and other leaders have called for investment in cleaner energy sources as a way to create jobs and spur U.S. economic recovery.
But critics argue that alternative energy generally costs more than traditional fossil fuels and that demand for energy overall has fallen during the recession, making the energy sector an odd choice for stimulating a recovery.
The Intelligence Squared U.S. debate series recently pitted two teams of experts against each other over the motion "Clean Energy Can Drive America's Economic Recovery." They argued two against two in an Oxford-style debate.