US presses Green Growth In Asia
Warning that the era of cheap fuel was over; the United States has called for Asia and the Pacific Rim economies to knock down trade barriers to spur growth in clean energy.
President Barack Obama's administration, which faces domestic opposition on climate change, is putting a high priority on the environment as the United States this year chairs the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Meeting senior Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade officials at the snow-covered ski resort of Big Sky, Montana, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said that millions of green jobs are waiting to be created from the factory floor to the construction sector. Locke said that clean energy needed entrepreneurs — and that the Asia-Pacific region had too many barriers to trade.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation includes rising powers in clean energy such as China, which has surpassed the United States as the top investor in green technology.