And guess who's revenues will be used for the development in these countries and sources of that revenue, as it already had started these past recent years, they understand the value in many area's.
January 25, 2013 - Construction companies in the Middle East are beginning to think about sustainability and green construction concepts in relation to their profitability, The Daily Star reported.
Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates—the three countries with the largest per capita ecological footprints in the world—have plans for major developments, and experts predict $4.3 trillion worth of construction projects in the Middle East and North Africa, also known as the MENA region. As these projects begin in 2013, industry professionals will likely look for ways to make the designs sustainable. read more>>>
24 January 2013 - DESPITE Africa being the poorest continent in the world with the larger part of its population facing inadequate access to goods and services, it has in the recent years transformed itself economically.
With average annual growth rates of around five per cent, Africa is increasingly seen as an important driver of the global economy.
As such, there are projections for innovation in technology and other industries, increased production and consumption and high levels of prosperity.
Further, efforts are being channeled to African countries to develop and adapt to changing boundary conditions as countries continue to industrialise with an aim to increase economic activities and create employment opportunities.
Therefore, promoting green growth and building a green economy is increasingly becoming an important topic across the continent because green growth is about ensuring human well-being undergoes rapid transformation. read more>>>
January 24, 2013 - Nearly all of the serious environmental problems facing the world today are a direct result of the Industrial Revolution. Pollution of the water, soil and atmosphere, landfills overflowing with toxic materials, communities fragmented by highways and urban sprawl and the many threats of climate change can ultimately by traced back to businesses and the way they have been allowed to operate over the past 150 years.
These environmental concerns are social problems as well. Often, the poorest people in a community are the ones cheated out of a clean environment and general well-being. Landfills, sewage treatment plants and garbage incinerators are often located in poor urban districts, and poor areas are often left without adequate transportation services, isolating residents from job opportunities and community cultural life. In fact, it is hard to think of any issue that is unaffected by the economy – whether you are personally concerned about curing cancer, the prison system, children’s education or how we get our food, the issues that you care most deeply about are dependent upon wealth and how it changes hands. read more>>>
14 January 2013 - A new report calls for a £100 million venture capital fund to plug the gap in cleantech funding
Financial markets are failing to provide funds for early stage cleantech start-ups warns a new report written by Green Alliance director Matthew Spencer and low carbon expert Paul Arwas. It points out that less than 30 early stage cleantech deals were made in the whole of the UK during 2011 from a pool of over a thousand fledging cleantech businesses seeking venture capital support. The result is that start up business are either growing only slowly or failing altogether due to the lack of risk capital. This has a knock-on effect in that supply chains suffer from a lack of competitive stimulus provided by new entrants. read more>>>
22 January 2013 - Scientists at Imperial College London have discovered that willow trees planted at an angle could boost fermentable sugars for biofuel production
Willow is a fast-growing species that is already used to produce wood chips and pellets for the renewable heating and power market but in future it could also help to produce biofuel through the extraction of fermentable sugars which are used to produce ethanol. It has been known for a while that when willows growing in the wild are blown sideways they tend to produce more sugars, but until now it has not been known why this happens. read more>>>
15 January 2013 - The world’s first open-access Global Atlas of renewable energy resources was unveiled in Abu Dhabi today at the annual general assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
The Global Atlas is the largest ever initiative to help countries assess their renewable energy potential, and companies bringing together data and maps from leading technical institutes and private companies worldwide.
It currently charts solar and wind resources, and will expand to other forms of renewable energy over 2013 and 2014. Its initial features include: read more>>>
January 24, 2013 - Conservative media have denigrated solar energy by denying its sustainability, ignoring its successes, and arguing the U.S. should simply cede the solar market to China. Yet this booming industry has made great strides, and with the right policies can become a major source of our power.
January 2013 - Move over, mulch, wood chips are gaining ground as a renewable fuel source. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division, today biomass surpasses hydropower to represent more than half of all renewable energy used in America. Wood chips—usually waste from the manufacturing of paper, lumber, and other products—are the most popular form of biomass.
The new SmartMarket Report, Green BIM: How Building Information Modeling is Contributing to Green Design and Construction provides insight into the convergence of two key trends, green building and BIM. Using BIM on green projects is still such a new practice that the industry is still trying to fully grasp its implications. This report contains market research data on how BIM is being used for green projects and what the key drivers and obstacles are to further adoption. It reveals that industry expectation is strong for striking growth in Green BIM practice within the next three years and offers a vision of the future of Green BIM gathered from green building experts and BIM technology leaders. 
01/24/13 - Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on Thursday outlined a slate of climate change actions that President Obama could execute with his own authority.
January 25, 2013 - The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) have presented the first-ever awards for exceptional efficiency programs that save both energy and water.
"The program award winners and honorable mentions demonstrate the innovative ways governments, utilities, businesses, and nonprofits are cost-effectively saving water and energy," said Mary Ann Dickinson, president and CEO of AWE.
January 21, 2013 - According to two recently released reports, growth of microgrids across industry sectors is expected to be robust over the next ten years. Microgrids integrate a range of distributed energy technologies into a controlled system that is designed to manage energy generation, transmission, distribution, and usage on a small scale, as compared to the conventional grid. Such technologies include renewable and conventional generation, energy storage, and advanced controls, metering and communications systems.
One key driver for microgrid development is the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The DOD has a strong interest in improving energy security through microgrid technology, stemming from its heavy reliance upon all forms of fossil fuels -- often imported from regions of the world hostile to U.S. interests.
January 23, 2013 - As the global population expands to 9 billion by 2050, we are set to spend trillions of dollars on supporting infrastructure that is likely to damage our climate. The good news is that spending more up front on making that infrastructure sustainable will pay off in the long run and provide new growth opportunities.
Jan. 22, 2013 - Seventy percent of companies believe that climate change has the potential to significantly affect their revenue, a risk which is intensified by a chasm between the sustainable business practices of multinational corporations and their suppliers, according to research published today by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and Accenture (NYSE:ACN).