Earlier this year, China announced that by 2020 it would invest $361 billion into clean renewable energy, creating 13 million clean energy jobs in that country over the next three years.

While our country continues to debate the reasons for climate change, China is aggressively ramping up clean energy manufacturing. The Paris climate accord includes 195 nations, committed to begin reducing their use of fossil fuel. After President Trump decided to pull the U.S. from that accord, countries around the world restated their commitment to it. That represents a global business risk for the fossil fuel industry.

China’s growing investment will strengthen their capacity to export clean energy products. Their timing couldn’t be better, with 195 countries around the world now looking to grow their use of clean renewable energy.

The Obama administration, concerned about the serious consequences of global warming, saw an opportunity for American business in clean energy and took steps to help those industries grow.

By the time President Trump came into office, Barack Obama’s efforts were starting to pay off. According to Department of Energy jobs data, the number of U.S. clean energy jobs producing electricity outnumbered those in the fossil fuel industry.

Whether you agree or disagree with our scientists on global warming, we can no longer ignore the economic opportunity for American business in the global clean energy market. But actions by the Trump administration, to weaken our clean energy efforts, combined with those 195 nations moving away from fossil fuel, now puts U.S. companies in both energy sectors at risk.

Congress needs to play a supporting role in advancing U.S. innovation and manufacturing in clean energy and reverse the actions by this administration against it. The replacement of fossil fuel with clean renewable energy will happen around the world, with or without us.

Fred Egan

York Harbor


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