U.S. must become leading innovator and exporter of clean technology

Articles — By forcechange on October 14, 2008 11:40 am

Watching CNBC’s coverage of the financial crisis, one might deduce that the key to limiting the upcoming recession is consumer confidence and spending.  The problem is, this mentality ignores a fundamental problem with our economy.  That is, we’ve become a nation of consumers and borrowers, instead of exporters and innovators.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll continue to say it: the solution is to become the world’s leading exporter of the next great industry– clean technology.  In the middle of the twentieth century we were the world leader in exporting quality durable goods, towards the end of the twentieth century we were the world leader in exporting information technology.  If we really want to continue to have a strong economy and cure the malaise striking our country, we must, once again, position ourselves to lead this impending shift in the world economy. 

As California Sen. Boxer notes, “We have to become a leader in alternative energy to get out of this economic malaise.  You’re not going to get out of it just by doing business-as-usual.”