The cleantech ‘arms’ race that could save world There has been much-hyped talk about the massive growth of the Chinese economy in recent years and how it’s poised to overtake the world’s current largest economy, the United States.  Nowhere is that talk at a higher pitch than in the clean energy arena, as a report released earlier this year by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) demonstrated that China, with $49.8 billion in total annual renewable energy investment in 2010, overtook the United States to become the leading destination in…

We need to get serious about creating a sustainable future The convergence of accelerating climate change, a weak world economy and an ever increasing world population should be seen as the ultimate challenge for humankind. Governments the world over have been  baffled as they seek to address these challenges, not least because  of their continuing dependency on hydrocarbon-based energy solutions.  This is understandable; it’s hard to wean society off a source of energy that has helped humankind develop by leaps and bounds in the space of a century. In my…

The changing face of corporate sustainability   In 1999, fewer than 500 companies issued sustainability reports. That number is now over 3,500. Once only a concern for a few niche companies with sustainability as a core value and brand differentiator, corporate sustainability has moved categorically into the mainstream. Today, there is a growing demand for companies to demonstrate a responsible, sustainable, long-term approach to business,  to produce a statement of their sustainability activities, and to clearly show how this relates to their core business strategy. Corporate sustainability  reports now contain…

Go green, go urban Access to energy is a major issue for overall development around the world, many countries are assessing and reassessing their various energy infrastructure projects and initiatives so much so that propositions that might not have been considered before are being taken seriously now, particularly in distributed power generation. Now that the world’s population has officially reached seven billion and with around half of this now living in urban areas, new and creative strategies in energy generation are definitely needed for the increasing number of us, and…

Energy conservation in the Gulf: Not just an option anymore Since the discovery of oil just over a century ago, the Middle East has experienced major economic growth from this bountiful resource under the ground, the world was a different place then to what it is now. Oil, it seemed, was the answer to all our prayers and for the most part it has been, and for that we are extremely grateful. Now, in the 21st century, the world faces threats to its energy and environmental security like never before….

Keeping the green hope alive, one wise investment at a time The current state of the world economy leaves a lot to be desired particularly when it comes to the hunger for new investment opportunities, so conventional wisdom would suggest that investing in the renewable energy technology (or cleantech) sector is a fool’s errand. With Google last week shutting down its ‘RE<C’ initiative that invested US$850 million in renewable energy and China’s mass production capability driving down solar PV (photovoltaic) prices put significant pressure on the profitability of the solar…

The power of social entrepreneurship to create a sustainable world  The concept of sustainable development stemmed from environmental movements in earlier decades. International forums, such as the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, brought sustainable development to the mainstream.  Today, the concept is often over-used and it may mean different things to different people, but it clearly goes to the heart of tackling a number of inter-related global issues such as poverty, food and water resources, energy security, and environmental preservation.  The Global Sustainability Panel, a high-level panel on climate…

Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue: a generation’s quest for sustainable development Popular culture pits us against nature. Man versus nature is one of the key conflicts in the works of pop culture, with many doomsday films featuring a character trying to avert, escape or fight the uncontrollable forces of nature. In retrospect, we got it all wrong – it’s been the other way around! A few years ago the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report stated that global warming is unequivocal and the ecological disruptions we witness are…

The carbon capture challenge and the green dream This week, as Vice Chairman of the Review Committee for the Zayed Future Energy Prize, I had the chance to assess firsthand many great examples of renewable energy and emissions reducing technologies and solutions from SMEs & NGOs, large corporations and individuals from around the world.   In fact I was very encouraged to see that in addition to energy efficiency and carbon reduction initiatives, quite a few of this year’s submissions were from influential groups or organisations that advocate green transparency…

Sustainable transport gaining serious mileage There is no doubt that climate change poses a grave danger, if there are any questions to be raised, they should be on our level of preparedness to face this challenge head on. We need to identify innovative ways of coming up with the most effective solutions in renewable energy and sustainability. One of the most effective ways of combating climate change would be to improve specific aspects of our everyday interaction with the environment, transportation is a case in point.   The transport sector…