Opinion - News Analysis

California on a ‘green’ roll

California, the most populous State in the United States, is going all out to promote “green” technology so as to reduce gas emissions.

This is a new pledge made by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a Wall Street Journal conference on “green” technology in Santa Barbara, his office said on Saturday.

He explained how California’s environmental policies and focus on booming clean and green-tech industries would help the State weather a slowed-down economy.

Speaking about its wave of growth in the “green” technology industry, he said “California’s environmental policies are driving a whole new industrial revolution in our State that is opening up huge opportunities for California companies to grow and strengthening our economy at a time when it could use the help.”

California represents almost half of all green-tech investments in the U.S., and all signs point to continued growth. Venture capitalists last year invested $1.78 billion in California “green” technology companies — double what it was the year before, according to the Governor.

According to Next10’s “California Green Innovation Index,” California patents account for 44 per cent of all U.S. patents in solar technologies and 37 per cent of all U.S. patents in wind technologies. Additionally, since 1990, the green business establishments in the State have grown by 84 per cent and employment has doubled. California has also established laws and policies creating a sustainable demand for green products and made it a priority to put the State in the forefront of the booming green-tech industry.

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