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The Breakthrough Institute in the Media
As one the nation's leading think tanks advancing progressive public policy solutions to renew America, the Breakthrough Institute has earned increasing attention in the national and international media, particularly for its innovative policy positions on energy and climate change. Breakthrough analysis has been cited, and policy experts have been quoted, in major publications including National Public Radio, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and TIME magazine. Below is a roundup of Breakthrough's recent appearances in the media.
You can find summaries of our recent media coverage in chronological order below, and headlines grouped by subject area at the end of this section.
Business Week, February 3, 2010
"America Risks Missing Out in Clean Technology"
By Rob Atkinson
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) President Rob Atkinson writes that America may miss the opportunity to secure new clean energy jobs for Americans as Asia's rising clean tech tigers -- China, Japan, and South Korea -- out-invest the U.S in the sector. Building off the findings of "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant," a report he co-authored with the Breakthrough Institute, Atkinson explains that innovation policy is the impetus behind the competitive edge these nations are developing over the U.S:
"The report, Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant, also finds that between 2009 and 2013, the governments of these nations will out-invest the U.S. three-to-one in these sectors , or $509 billion to $172 billion...This competitive edge hasn't emerged out of some kind of Ricardian comparative advantage that Asia possesses in green energy. Rather, it arose from conscious green innovation policies."
Fortune, January 28, 2010
"China's Ahead in the Green-Tech Race"
By Brian Dumaine
Fortune details what the U.S. must do to become clean-tech competitive and cites the Breakthrough Institute/ITIF report, "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant," to explain how Asia's clean tech tigers -- China, Japan, and South Korea -- have positioned themselves to dominate the industry:
"A new report by the Breakthrough Institute, a progressive think tank in Oakland, argues that China, along with Japan and Korea, will dominate the clean-energy race by out-investing America.
"Asia's clean-tech tigers are already launching massive government investment programs to dominate this industry and, according to the report, have surpassed the U.S. in virtually all clean-energy areas, including wind, solar, and electric-car batteries."
Living on Earth, January 22, 2010
"A Year in, New Ideas for Obama"
By Jeff Young
In an interview with "Living on Earth" Breakthrough co-founder Michael Shellenberger explains to host Jeff Young why technological advancements that make clean energy cheap, and not carbon regulations, are the key to controlling climate change.
Financier Worldwide, February 2010
"Cleantech Investment in Asia"
By Selina Harrison
In summarizing the state of cleantech investments in Asia, Financier Worldwide, discusses Asian government investment in clean energy technology relative to the United States and cites "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant":
"According to a report called 'Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giants', published in December 2009 by the Breakthrough Institute and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Asian countries are forecast to outspend the US on clean energy technology and infrastructure by a factor of three to one by 2013. The report also states that between 2009 and 2013, the governments of China, Japan and South Korea will invest $519bn in clean technology, while the US government would contribute $172bn in the same period. In the next 10 years, China alone will spend between $440bn and $660bn on cleantech investment."
CNBC, January 19, 2010
"Green Jobs Success Will Take Major, Long-Term Commitment"
By Trevor Curwin
CNBC explains that attempting to address both climate change and unemployment will require a long-term effort on the part of the Obama administration. Breakthrough's Director of Climate and Energy Policy comments on the need for long-term technology investment:
"'This looks more like the Cold War than the Manhattan Project,' says Jenkins. 'There are no short-term solutions to real problems.'"
"Jenkins and others in the renewable energy sector see the need for the right mix of long-term technology investment—in a sector where installed power generation capacity and electricity contracts are measured in decades--and short-term job creation to keep the issue at the top of the public's mind."
Mother Jones, January 19, 2010
"Copenhangover: Rallying for Next Steps"
By Bill McKibben
In attempting to make sense of the post-Copenhagen landscape and explain what's next for the climate movement, Bill McKibben, author and co-founder of 350.org, discusses the role of technology innovation in mitigating climate change and quotes Breakthrough co-founder Ted Nordhaus explaining why we don't have all the technology we need on the shelf today:
"We're techno-pessimists," says Ted Nordhaus, the chairman of the Breakthrough Institute and one of the loudest proponents of this argument. "We don't have good, scaleable, cheap substitutes for fossil fuels now," he contends. The Germans, he says, are leading the world in installing rooftop solar reactors--because they're paying what he estimates is the equivalent of $500 a ton to reduce carbon, "ten times what we're talking about in Congress."
He goes on to describe some of Breakthrough's proposals for long-term public investment in clean energy RD&D:
"More R&D spending (way more R&D spending--the Institute has used the figure $10.5 trillion-with-a-T as the minimum total cost of an energy transition, and thinks $30-50 billion a year is probably needed in research money) is therefore a chief priority. They've proposed a National Institute of Energy, much like the NIH; the Brookings Institution has talked about building Silicon Valley-like "energy innovation hubs" around the country. And as these new discoveries come to light, the government would have to drive demand by buying up the technology at a high enough price--much, Nordhaus contends, as the Defense Department did with semi-conductors."
The New Republic, January 7, 2010
"10.5 Trillion by 2030: The New 'It' Number?"
By Mark Muro
Brookings Insitute's Mark Muro evaluates the need for $10.5 trillion of investment in global energy R&D, testing, demonstration, and infrastructure suggested by the International Energy Agency. Building on the work of Breakthrough's Jesse Jenkins and Devon Swezey and Senior Fellow Chris Green, Muro argues the $10.5 trillion figure is the right number to focus climate action on, instead of carbon regulatory targets and timetables:
"Ranging from the Canadian economists Isabel Galiana and Christopher Green to Jesse Jenkins and Devon Swezey of the Breakthrough Institute, these voices argued that the climate community's heavy focus on schedules and regulatory targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions has tended to crowd out adequate consideration of the means--technological and economic--for achieving such goals."
Wall Street Journal, December 11, 2009
In Energy Innovation, Everything New is Old Again
By Russell Gold
Writing on the development of clean energy innovations, WSJ reporter Russell Gold quotes Breakthrough co-founder Ted Nordhaus:
Even technology enthusiasts admit that innovation is slow, and costly. "If you want to speed up the innovation process, you are not going to do it on the cheap," says Ted Nordhaus, chairman and founder of the Breakthrough Institute, an energy think tank in Oakland, Calif. "You are going to do it with brute-force expenditure."
TIME, December 9, 2009
TIME: Copenhagen's Real Challenge: Technology to Meet the Targets
By Bryan Walsh
Emphasizing the importance of investment in clean energy technology policy to the climate negotiations in Copenhagen, TIME report Bryan Walsh cited a blog post by Breakthrough's Director of Climate and Energy Policy and Project Director:
As Jesse Jenkins and Devon Swezey of the think tank Breakthrough Institute wrote on Dec. 7, "Without measurable progress that dramatically increases global investments in clean energy, we can forget stabilizing global temperatures or atmospheric carbon dioxide at any level."
Walsh goes on to quote Breakthrough President and co-founder, Michael Shellenberger on the need to make clean energy cheap:
But technology offers the promise that with the right breakthroughs, we can keep growing. "Investing in R&D to make clean energy cheap is the most popular energy proposal there is," says Michael Shellenberger of the Breakthrough Institute. That may be a global deal everyone can embrace.
TIME, December 8, 2009
TIME: The Top 10 Everything of 2009; 9. China's Green Stimulus
By: Bryan Walsh
Ranked 9th, TIME's Top 10 Everything of 2009 is China's Green Stimulus. TIME reporter Bryan Walsh cites the Breakthrough Institute/ITIF report, "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant," to illustrate how the U.S. may cede the clean energy race to China:
"For the U.S., however, China's gains may mean losses at home. A recent report by the Breakthrough Institute warned that the U.S. could be lapped by Asia in the clean-tech race."
Bloomberg, December 3, 2009
Copenhagen Failure Defied by $200 Billion in Green Investments
By Jim Efstathiou Jr.
Bloomburg News quotes the Breakthrough's Jesse Jenkins in a story on the disparate imbalance of clean tech investments, particularly in countries which offer strong incentives like China and France to mitigate investment risks:
"Investors spent $16.7 billion on clean energy in China in 2008, excluding stimulus funds, topping the U.S. total of $15.2 billion for the first time, said Jesse Jenkins, director of energy and climate policy at the Breakthrough Institute, an Oakland, California-based consulting firm.
Wind-energy producers in China get a premium for the electricity they supply to help make it competitive with cheaper power from burning coal or natural gas, he said.
U.S. companies are falling behind in clean technology because the country lacks a binding limit on carbon emissions, as would be required under a global treaty, said Ralph Izzo, CEO of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., the owner of New Jersey's largest utility. "We are in conversations about a range of carbon-friendly technologies," Izzo said. "And the suppliers we talk to are from China, Japan and France."
TIME, December 2, 2009
As Climate Summit Nears, Skeptics Gain Traction
by Bryan Walsh
Time Magazine's Bryan Walsh cites The Breakthrough Insitute's recent efforts to realign the climate debate by outing the McCarthyite tactics of some of its most vehement followers:
"Climate McCarthyism" -- as Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger of the Breakthrough Institute have called the knee-jerk attacks by some climate-change advocates on those who deviate from the green mainstream -- must stop. That may not seem fair -- industry groups have played dirty for years smearing climate scientists -- but researchers will need to be above reproach. "Scientists need to consider carefully skeptical arguments and either rebut them or learn from them," wrote Judith Curry, an atmospheric scientist and climate researcher at Georgia Tech, on the blog Climate Audit.
WSJ, Environmental Capital, November 25, 2009:
China Beachhead: More Government Support for Chinese Clean-Tech Exports
By Keith Johnson
In a story covering China's announcement that its Export-Import Bank signed a $2.9 billion deal to support the exports of an energy efficiency and renewable energy project developer, the Wall Street Journal cited the Breakthrough Institute and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation report, "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant":
"One of the latest reports , from the Breakthrough Institute, says Asian countries including China, will outspend the U.S. three-to-one over the next five years, with potentially big implications for the early development of clean-energy industries."
New York Times, Green Inc., November 19, 2009:
Study: Asia Surging in Clean-Tech Manufacturing
By Kristina Shevory
The New York Times highlights a report co-authored by the Breakthrough Institute and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, highlighting its findings on clean technology manufacturing in the U.S. compared with China, South Korea, and Japan, citing Breakthrough President, Michael Shellenberger:
"According to the Breakthrough Institute report, China is home to one-third of global solar manufacturing capacity. In wind, China has gone from having almost zero manufacturing output five years ago to having at least 70 turbine manufacturing companies today. Companies like BYD are also pushing ahead in the commercialization of plug-in vehicles.
"Without concentrated action and big investments by the U.S. government, we will be passed by in the clean-tech race," said Michael Shellenberger, president of the Breakthrough Institute, in a conference call on Wednesday. "We think the U.S. can catch up, but it won't be through modest research and development and legislation, but through massive investments."
E&E, ClimateWire, November 19, 2009:
"Report warns of 'Asian Tigers' surging ahead" (subs. req'd) or read an excerpt here)
By Saqim Rahib
E&E covers the need for government investment in clean energy technology, highlighting the Breakthrough Institute and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation report, "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant." The story quotes Breakthrough President Michael Shellenberger's commentary on how the U.S. government should be focusing its energy policy:
"This calcified ideology that the government should not be procuring cutting-edge technologies, the government should not be picking technological winners and losers, that is the ideology of American decline."
Financial Times, November 18, 2009:
Asia Set to Overtake U.S. in Green Technology
By Fiona Harvey
The Financial Times reported on the findings of the jointly-authored Breakthrough Institute and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation report, "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant," noting:
"Asian economies look set to outstrip the US in the clean technology market by rapidly increasing investment in manufacturing capacity and research and development, said a report by two American think-tanks.
The US attracted about $52bn (EU35bn, UK31bn) in private capital for renewable energy technologies between 2000 and 2008, said a report from the Breakthrough Institute and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation."
WSJ, Environmental Capital, November 18, 2009:
Flying Tigers: More Reasons to Worry About Asia's Clean-Tech Push
By Keith Johnson
The Wall Street Journal covers the release of the Breakthrough Institute and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation report, "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant":
"The U.S. hasn't actually fallen too far behind yet. It's the future that the Breakthrough Institute is worried about. Specifically, the next five years, when China, Japan, and South Korea are expected to spend about $500 billion to directly promote clean-technology development and depolyment, compared with about $170 billion in the U.S.--and that's including energy legislation that passed the House and shoaled in the Senate...
What's interesting about the report, beyond its exhaustive analysis of what Asian countries are doing differently, is the link it draws between government investment in clean energy (which isn't the same as a cap-and-trade program) and private-sector investment. The former doesn't crowd out the latter--but attract it."
SolveClimate, November 18, 2009:
Made in America by China: New Turbine Factory Offers Glimpse into the Future
By Stacy Feldman
SolveClimate co-founder, Stacy Feldman, discusses the implications of a planned Texas wind farm that would import Chinese-manufactured wind turbines. Feldman cites a report co-authored by the Breakthrough Institute and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation on clean energy competitiveness between the U.S., China, South Korea, and Japan:
"In a new report released today, the Oakland-based Breakthrough Institute writes that China, Japan and South Korea are all on track to blow the U.S. out of the water when it comes to reaping rewards of low-carbon technology development...
Of course, U.S. firms will benefit from the establishment of joint cleantech ventures overseas. But the jobs, tax revenues and other benefits of clean tech growth "will overwhelmingly accrue to Asian nations," the report finds."
Huffington Post, November 18, 2009:
Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant -- New Report on Competitiveness in Clean Tech
Breakthrough's Director of Climate and Energy Policy announces the release of "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant: Asian Nations Set to Dominate the Clean Energy Race by Out-investing the United States," a report co-authored by the Breakthrough Institute and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. According to Jesse Jenkins:
"The new report examines the competitive position of each nation in core clean energy technologies, including solar, wind, and nuclear power, carbon capture and storage, advanced vehicles and batteries, and high-speed rail, as well as the government strategies each nation hopes will strengthen their position in the competitive global clean technology sector."
Yale e360, November 16, 2009:
Apocalypse Fatigue: Losing the Public on Climate Change
Breakthrough Institute founders, Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, respond to a Pew Research Center poll of public attitudes towards global warming and analyze the psychological reasoning behind America's weak public commitment to substantive climate change action. According to the pair:
"The lesson of recent years would appear to be that apocalyptic threats -- when their impacts are relatively far off in the future, difficult to imagine or visualize, and emanate from everyday activities, not an external and hostile source -- are not easily acknowledged and are unlikely to become priority concerns for most people. In fact, the louder and more alarmed climate advocates become in these efforts, the more they polarize the issue, driving away a conservative or moderate for every liberal they recruit to the cause."
Newsweek, November 14, 2009
Is America Losing Its Mojo?
by Fareed Zakaria
Americans like to think there is something about their culture that's especially conducive to innovation, [...] but could it be that American achievements reflect the past more than predicting the future? Fareed Zakaria examines the myths and truths of the American Innovation Story.
"As a study by the Breakthrough Institute notes, after the microchip was invented in 1958 by an engineer at Texas Instruments, 'the federal government bought virtually every microchip firms could produce.' This was particularly true of the Air Force, which needed chips to guide the new Minuteman II missiles, and NASA, which required advanced chips for the on-board guidance computers on its Saturn rockets. 'NASA bought so many [microchips] that manufacturers were able to achieve huge improvements in the production process--so much so, in fact, that the price of the Apollo microchip fell from $1,000 per unit to between $20 and $30 per unit in the span of a couple years.'"
CNN, November 4, 2009
CNN Interviews Breakthrough Senior Fellow William Chaloupka
Breakthrough Senior Fellow William Chaloupka, a political science professor at Colorado State University, discusses the political landscape in the West on CNN Politics. With a significant portion of unaffiliated voters, Colorado, in particular, is a region of the country that could be a major battle ground in upcoming midterm elections.
The New Republic, October 27, 2009
Energy Innovation: The Senate Starting Point
Fellow and director of policy at the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, Mark Muro, writes in The New Republic about the Environment and Public Works Committee's draft of the Kerry-Boxer climate and energy legislation. Muro cites Breakthrough Institute analysis to explain the main differences and similarities between the Senate draft of the bill and the version passed by the House in June - primarily the lack of sufficient investment in clean energy research and development allocated by both versions:
"As to the important allowances side of the ledger, now that we can see them, these too look very similar to the House schedule, with a few interesting differences, but not enough on the up side, as makes clear a helpful side-by-side comparison posted by the Breakthrough Institute."
Prospect Magazine, October 21, 2009
Does Copenhagen Matter?
Breakthrough founders, Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger join other policy experts, climate scientists, and negotiators to comment on the importance of upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen in Prospect magazine. Nordhaus and Shellenberger write:
"The US senate will not pass climate legislation this year, maybe not even next. President Obama's climate tsar, Carol Browne, has bleakly declared: 'We will go to Copenhagen and manage with whatever we have.' This means moving away from unenforceable emissions targets towards shared investments in low-carbon technologies. The failure of some Kyoto-ratifying countries to cut their emissions gives the US a case for switching the focus from pollution regulation to technology investment."
Talking Points Memo: Muckraker, October 15, 2009
Behind Chamber Controversy: What's Driving Energy Firms On Climate Change?
by Zachary Roth
In a piece looking at the influence the utility sector has over pending climate and energy legislation. Breakthrough's Director of Climate and Energy policy comments on provisions made in the bill simply to satisfy the interests of big utilities:
"They negotiated the deal they wanted and are now largely supporting the bill," says Jesse Jenkins, an expert on energy and climate change at the Breakthrough Institute, a progressive policy think-tank. "This is the PG&E, Duke Energy, GE bill. It's questionable whether it's even the environmentalists' bill anymore."
New York Times, October 14, 2009
Midwestern Senator Puts Manufacturing Issues at Forefront of Climate Debate
by Alex Kaplun of Climatewire
In a look at the critical need for Senator Sherrod Brown's (D-OH) support for pending climate and energy legislation in the Senate, Breakthrough's Director of climate and energy policy remarks:
"If we can't secure the support of somebody who is a committed progressive, who understands the potential of a clean energy economy and someone who understands the need to protect this country's manufacturing base, then I don't see this bill going anywhere," said Jesse Jenkins, director of energy and climate policy at the Breakthrough Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. "Senator Brown is much more committed to finding a bill that can work than potentially some other senators.
"If we can't get his support, I don't see any route to 60 votes."
Washington Post's Planet Panel, October 5, 2009
Only Technology Policy -- Not More Targets and Timetables -- Can Save Copenhagen
By Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger
As panelists on the Washington Post's blog, "Planet Panel," Breakthrough's founders explain why the Copenhagen climate talks won't succeed unless plans for an international climate change agreement are focused on technology policy, instead of targets and timetables. Nordhaus and Shellenberger write:
"Such a tact will require moving the Kyoto process away from its focus on unenforceable emissions targets and timetables to shared investments in low-carbon energy technologies."
Wall Street Journal Blog, September 23, 2009
Waxman-Markey: Cap-and-Trade With Too Loose a Cap?
By Keith Johnson
Wall Street Journal blogger Keith Johnson draws on Breakthrough Institute analysis of the Waxman-Markey climate bill that finds the proposed legislation would over-allocate emissions permits to businesses because the current economic recession is not accounted for when calculating the amount of necessary permits. Johnson cites Breakthrough analysis: "The resulting oversupply of emissions permits will allow regulated firms to continue business as usual emissions through as late as 2018," and dubs Breakthrough a "vocal advocate for more direct support for clean-energy technology."
KPFA Radio, September 21, 2009
Ten Weeks to Copenhagen - Jenkins on KPFA Radio
Local Bay Area radio station, KPFA radio, hosted Breakthrough's Director of Energy and Climate Policy, Jesse Jenkins, and Dan Jacobson of Environment California to discuss the coming climate and energy policy debates in the U.S. Senate and the implications of U.S. decision making on the international stage.
Download the mp3 directly (mp3, 22MB)
Washington Independent, September 21, 2009
Brown Looks to Add More Money for Clean-Energy Jobs in Climate Bill
By Kate Sheppard
The non-profit webpaper, Washington Independent, reports that Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) appeared at a summit hosted by the Breakthrough Institute and Third Way in order to discuss their call for $15 billion public investment in order to create a National Institutes of Energy, modeled after the National Institutes of Health. This appearance was part of Brown's larger effort to secure more manufacturing and clean energy technology incentives in the House-passed climate bill (ACES). "It more than piqued my interest," commented Brown with regard to the proposal.
ABC 7, September 18, 2009
Green jobs may help CA out of recession
By Lyanne Melendez
ABC 7 reporter, Lyanne Melendez asks Breakthrough Project Director, Devon Swezey, to comment on the potential green jobs that could be created in the clean energy industry by the pending House-passed climate and energy bill, ACES. "The Chinese government is offering substantial support in terms of credit guarantees, loan guarantees, low cost financing to directly grow their solar manufacturing industry. The Chinese government is engaged in the proactive policy of support for this industry in the way the US is not or has never been," said Swezey.
Huffington Post, September 18, 2009
Huffington Post, September 18, 2009
National Institutes of Health: A Model for Jumpstarting Energy R&D
By Joshua Freed
Joshua Freed, a Senior Policy Advisor at Third Way and co-author (along with Breakthrough's Director of Climate and Energy Policy, Jesse Jenkins) of Jumpstarting a Clean Energy Revolution with a National Institutes of Energy, explains why Breakthrough and Third Way propose a National Institutes of Energy modeled on the National Institutes of Health, a world leader in medical breakthroughs. Freed explains: "NIE's mission would be clear: to fund and conduct commercially viable clean energy research. This is important not only for researchers but also for the Congress, which needs to fund energy R&D and the public, which supports government-sponsored R&D when it's tied to institutions they trust."
This article also appeared on Alternet.
Chicago Tribune, September 17, 2009
Push is on for more clean energy research
By Jim Tankersley
Chicago Tribune reporter, Jim Tankersley draws on the Breakthrough Institute and Third Way's proposal for a National Institutes of Energy, modeled on the National Institutes of Health, as an example of a strategy that would strengthen the House-passed climate bill, ACES. Tankersley cites the report: "The lack of a sustained national commitment to clean energy innovation is already limiting our access to a major economic driver of the next century. Without immediate action to spur clean energy technologies and industries, the United States may also fall behind several Asian nations now aggressively positioning themselves to dominate the burgeoning clean energy sector."
This article also appeared in the Los Angeles Times Blog under the title, 'Clean energy' advocates change their pitch.
ClimateWire: E&E News, September 17, 2009
Call for a 'National Institutes of Energy' to propel research
By Saqib Rahim
The E&E News ClimateWire covers the release of Jumpstarting a Clean Energy Revolution with a National Institutes of Energy co-authored by the Breakthrough Institute and Third Way. ClimateWire cites an interview with Joshua Freed, Senior Policy Advisor at Third Way Freed: "NIE, like NIH, would oversee the landscape of public R&D. It would have its own director and advisory council to determine the country's energy priorities and where funding ought to go."
Huffington Post, September 3, 2009
Wind in Wall Street's Sails: Investment rushes into wind, but can we make it last?
By Jesse Jenkins and Yael Borofsky
Breakthrough responds to excitement in the wind sector and on Wall Street, that ARRA-funded cash grants are stimulating private investment in wind by cautioning that the boom could go bust without a more long-term deployment strategy. Jenkins and Borofsky write: "Long-term deployment policies to drive strong domestic markets, continued innovation, and ever-more-affordable clean energy technologies will be central to the nation's longer-term economic strategy, helping drive a robust clean energy growth sector."
The article also appeared on Grist.
Financial Times Blog, August 27, 2009
Slime: The Friendly Face of Geo-engineering
By Kate Mackenzie
In a piece discussing the viability of carbon-capturing algae, artificial trees, and other geo-engineering innovations, the Financial Times blog covers an Institution of Mechanical Engineering report which argues that geo-engineering is legitimate interim solution for mitigating climate change, while the world attempts to make clean energy cheap. A Breakthrough Institute interview with Klaus Lackner was cited: Klaus Lackner, the scientist who designed these trees, told The Breakthrough Institute last year that he estimated they [artifical trees] might be able to capture carbon dioxide at a cost of $30 a tonne - not out of the ballpark for market price estimates in another decade or two.
The Columbus Dispatch, August 12, 2009
Cap-and-trade Legislation is Spinning Out of Control
By Justin Danhof
A research associate for The National Center for Public Policy Research, Justin Danhof discusses the weaknesses in the House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) and questions why the bill lost support among environmental organizations that would be expected to support it. Danhof cites Breakthrough analysis of the bill's offset provisions: "The Breakthrough Institute, a self-described progressive policy group, claims that because of Waxman-Markey's offset provisions, by 2030 carbon emissions will increase by 9 percent over business as usual."
Huffington Post, August 12, 2009
Senator Brown Calls for New Investments in Clean Energy Manufacturing
By Jesse Jenkins and Johanna Peace
Breakthrough reports on legislation proposed by Sen. Sherrod Brown, which would invest directly in building America's clean energy manufacturing industry. Jenkins and Peace write: "Direct public investment is necessary to jump-start a robust clean energy manufacturing sector that will ensure the US gains a secure foothold in a burgeoning (and lucrative) global industry. Otherwise, our wind turbines and solar panels -- like so many other products that sustain our economy -- will continue to bear the label "Made in China."
The article also appeared on Grist, and Jenkins has previously written about Brown's crucial position for climate policy at Huffington Post and Grist.
BBC News, August 5, 2009
Harrabin's Notes: Breaking the jam
By Roger Harrabin
Harrabin, a BBC environment analyst, reports extensively on the policy positions of Breakthrough's Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger, who spoke about cap-and-trade at a climate conference in London. Harrabin writes: "They believe that cap-and-trade will never produce the desired results. Its energies are subverted by the sort of political maneuvering which is hampering the Waxman-Markey Bill... Shellenberger and Nordhaus were also scathing about carbon offsetting. They argue that a straight carbon tax would send the correct market signals and would be less vulnerable to lobbying than cap-and-trade, whilst also raising the finance necessary for technological investment."
TIME Magazine, August 1, 2009
Clean Energy: U.S. Lags in Research and Development
By Bryan Walsh
Bryan Walsh reports that the US is falling behind in the race toward a clean-energy economy, and highlights calls to support the nascent sector through large-scale investments in R&D. The report cites Breakthrough's director of energy and climate policy, Jesse Jenkins: "We need a much larger investment than what we're getting" to achieve the technological breakthroughs required to fight climate change.
The Guardian, July 31, 2009
The folly of 'magical solutions' for targeting carbon emissions
British newspaper The Guardian published an op ed by Senior Breakthrough Institute Fellow, Prof. Roger Pielke Jr. In the piece, Pielke Jr. calls for policy makers to ditch symbolic efforts and embrace realistic climate policy that focuses on decarbonizing the global economy.
New York Times Dot Earth Blog, July 30, 2009
How Many D's in Obama's Energy Pledge?
By Andrew Revkin
Prominent environment reporter Andrew Revkin discusses Breakthrough's vocal advocacy for clean energy education funding when he asks: exactly how will Obama's promised $150 billion for clean energy R&D be spent? Revkin writes: "The Breakthrough team warns that while deployment of today's technologies is vital, if money for deployment is included in the $150-billion pie, that dangerously reduces the amount of money for laboratories pursuing vital advances on photovoltaics or energy storage and for big tests of technologies that must be demonstrated at large scale — like capturing carbon dioxide from power plants."
The San Francisco Chronicle, July 27, 2009
Will America lose the clean-energy race?
By Teryn Norris and Jesse Jenkins
Breakthrough's Teryn Norris and Jesse Jenkins penned an op-ed warning that the US is falling behind in the clean energy race. They called for increased government investment in clean energy R&D and in STEM education initiatives like Obama's RE-ENERGYSE program. Norris and Jenkins wrote:
"To win today's clean-energy race, the United States must respond with the same vigorous commitment to education and innovation that won the space race four decades ago. Congress should begin by strengthening RE-ENERGYSE to the full $115 million requested and pass energy legislation that invests $30 billion to $50 billion annually in low-carbon energy.
If America does not take immediate action to bridge its energy education gap - and if we fail to make substantially larger investments in our own clean-energy economy - we will effectively cede the clean-energy race to Asia. A decade from now, we may still find the burgeoning clean-energy economy promised by Obama and Democratic leaders. It will simply be headquartered in China."
Good Magazine, July 27, 2009
The Science Unfair
By Ben Jervey
In an article making the case for substantial investment in science and technology education, Good Magazine's Ben Jervey cites the Breakthrough policy proposal that laid the foundation for Obama's RE-ENERGYSE program, and discusses Breakthrough's continued support for clean energy education: "Jesse Jenkins and Teryn Norris at the Breakthrough Institute -- who proposed a similar, if much more ambitious, National Energy Education Act last summer -- partnered with the Association of American Universities and rounded up a group of more than 100 schools, student groups, and nonprofit organizations to jointly submit a letter (pdf) to all senators urging full support of the President's RE-ENERGYSE proposal."
SolveClimate, July 24, 2009
New York Times Dot Earth Blog, July 23, 2009
Senate Pressed to Aid Obama on Energy Education
By Andrew Revkin
DotEarth reports on the letter drafted by Breakthrough Institute and signed by over 100 schools, student groups and nonprofit organizations. The letter urged Congress to fully fund Obama's RE-ENERGYSE initiative for clean energy education. Revkin writes: "The letter, drafted by the Breakthrough Institute and sent to Senate offices this week, comes after the education program was cut to zero by a Senate committee from Mr. Obama's $115 million request. In its markup, a House committee cut the request to $7 million."
Business Report, July 21, 2009
SA lags far behind in funding for clean energy
By Ingi Salgado
South African newspaper Business Report draws on Breakthrough's coverage of the Asia's clean energy investments in an article discussing South Africa's low-carbon energy policies.
The Washington Post, July 16, 2009
The San Francisco Business Times Blog, July 16, 2009
Smart People Decry Toothless Climate Bill
By Lindsay Riddell
The San Francisco Business Times cites Breakthrough as one of several groups sharply criticizing weak US climate policy: "Today the Oakland-based Breakthrough Institute, a think tank pushing for real solutions to climate change, [supported] a letter signed by 34 Nobel Prize winners who think research dollars committed to finding real solutions to climate change included in the current version of the Waxman Markey federal climate change bill are insufficient... The Breakthrough Institute argues that the U.S. needs to direct far more dollars into research for solutions."
East Bay Express, July 8, 2009
Cap and Lose?
By Robert Gammon
Gammon highlights the Breakthrough Institute's rigorous analysis of the proposed Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill. "If this bill passes the way it is," Shellenberger explains, "we're going to be stuck with bad legislation that actually includes incentives to increase emissions rather than decrease them."
Wall Street Journal Blog, July 6, 2009
Derailed: Is There A Better Way to Tackle Climate Change?
By Keith Johnson
Wall Street Journal blogger Keith Johnson reports on the joint Oxford University and the London School of Economics report How To Get Climate Policy Back on Course. Johnson highlights the report authors' endorsement of the Breakthrough Institute climate policy recommendations: "The core argument of the Breakthrough Institute is an elementary political truth, namely that clean energy will only advance radically when it is made cheaper than dirty energy at point-of-use by the consumer."
TIME Magazine, June 27, 2009
What the Energy Bill Really Means for CO2 Emissions
By Bryan Walsh
Breakthrough Institute President Michael Shellenberger is featured in TIME Magazine's coverage of the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security bill in the House. Shellenberger comments on the insufficient measures for driving the domestic clean energy sector contained in ACES: "It should be a key goal to see renewable energy get picked up under this bill, but it's not happening. That's pretty demoralizing." Shellenberger concludes that "[the ACES bill] won't get us to where we need to go."
National Public Radio, June 24, 2009
Putting A Financial Spin On Global Warming
By Richard Harris
NPR's 'All Things Considered' program featured a profile on the Breakthrough Institute in which founders Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus make the case for innovation-based climate policy supported by an active government. Shellenberger and Nordhaus discuss the drawbacks of regulation-based climate policy and outline the benefits of making clean energy cheap through investment in innovation. They argue that such an approach will better resonate with the American national identity.
The LA Times, June 22, 2009
Under House Energy Bill, Coal Won't be Going Away
By Jim Tankersley
Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger comment in an LA Times article reporting that the ACES climate legislation would result in the US burning more coal a decade from now than it does today. Under the bill, offset provisions would allow heavy emitters to avoid reducing their own emissions by paying for reductions elsewhere.
"This is greens making a deal with the devil," Nordhaus said. Obama and House leaders "gave the coal guys everything they wanted," added Shellenberger. "The result is legislation that, when all is said and done, will increase coal generation and make it harder to move away from it."
San Francisco Chronicle, June 22, 2009
Critics fault climate-change legislation
By Jennifer A. Dlouhy
The San Francisco Chronicle acknowledges the contribution of the Breakthrough Institute analysis of carbon offset provisions contained in the ACES bill. The Breakthrough analysis found that if polluters purchase the "relatively cheap carbon offsets ... emissions in supposedly capped U.S. sectors (could) rise by up to 9 percent between 2005 and 2030."
The Wall Street Journal, May 22, 2009
Waxman-Markey Climate Bill: What's Next for Global Climate Deal?
By Keith Johnson
The Wall Street Journal references the Breakthrough Institute in an article exploring the effect the Waxman-Markey will have on international climate deal. The article notes that according to Breakthrough analysis, ACES won't even accomplish its own objectives:
"You could drive yourself insane plowing through the nearly 1,000 pages and try to work out how all the overlapping policies, regulators, giveaways, exemptions, and mandates actually affect U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions over the next four decades. Actually, folks at the Breakthrough Institute did that and came away horrified by how little the bill will really do."
The New Republic, May 20, 2009
The Green Bubble: Why Environmentalism Keeps Imploding (pdf)
By Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger
Nordhaus and Shellenber explain why the green movement's anti-modernist reaction to global warming is building a "green bubble" that is compelling in the short-term but will ultimately fail to deal with the challenge of climate change.
"The idea that a common connection to nature might allow us to overcome our divisions and transcend the essential messiness of politics is an idea that is as old as it is fantastical," say Nordhaus and Shellenberger. "Politics will always involve conflict, contradiction, and compromise."
Yale Environment 360, May 19, 2009
The Flawed Logic of the Cap and Trade Debate
By Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger
Breakthrough's chairman and president argue that making dirty energy expensive through cap-and-trade policies will not succeed; instead, we must make clean energy cheap. They write:
"Public investment in clean energy is what is needed today, because no effort to achieve deep reductions in carbon emissions, domestic or international, will succeed as long as low-carbon energy technologies cost vastly more than current fossil fuel-based energy."
ABC News Radio Australia, May 8, 2009
Plan B: Ditch carbon trading and get ready to spend
Presented by Peter Mares
As the Australian Government pursues a national cap-and-trade scheme as the centerpiece of climate and energy policy, Breakthrough Chairman Ted Nordhaus appeared on ABC Radio's 'National Interest' program for a discussion about alternatives.
The Age, Melbourne Australia, May 4, 2009
Time the sun set on carbon scheme
By Kenneth Davidson
The Age columnist Kenneth Davidson draws heavily on Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus' Emerging Climate Consensus to support his critique of the Australian Government's cap-and-trade agenda. Davidson characterizes the Breakthrough Institute's strategy to make clean energy cheap, as outlined in Emerging Climate Consensus, as 'a practical solution' to climate change.
Breakthrough Climate and Energy Strategy
"Green Jobs Success Will Take Major, Long-Term Commitment" CNBC, January 19, 2010
"Copenhangover: Rallying for Next Steps" Mother Jones, January 19, 2010
Copenhagen Failure Defied by $200 Billion in Green Investments, Bloomburg, December 3, 2009
As Climate Summit Nears, Skeptics Gain Traction, TIME, December 2, 2009
Apocalypse Fatigue: Losing the Public on Climate Change, Yale e360, November 16, 2009
Does Copenhagen Matter?, Prospect Magazine, October 21, 2009
Only Technology Policy -- Not More Targets and Timetables -- Can Save Copenhagen Washington Post's Planet Panel, October 5, 2009
Ten Weeks to Copenhagen - Jenkins on KPFA Radio, KPFA Radio, September 21, 2009
The folly of 'magical solutions' for targeting carbon emissions, The Guardian, July 31, 2009
Derailed: Is There A Better Way to Tackle Climate Change?, Wall Street Journal Blog, July 6, 2009
Putting A Financial Spin On Global Warming, National Public Radio, June 24, 2009
The Flawed Logic of the Cap and Trade Debate, Yale Environment 360, May 19, 2009
Plan B: Ditch carbon trading and get ready to spend, ABC Radio National Australia, May 8, 2009
Time the sun set on carbon scheme, The Age, May 4, 2009
Communicating Climate Change: Why Frames Matter for Public Engagement, Environment Magazine, Mar - Apr 2009
The Clean Energy Race
America Risks Missing Out in Clean Technology Business Week, February 3, 2010
China’s Ahead in the Green-Tech Race Fortune, January 28, 2010
Asian Nations Set to Dominate the Clean Energy Race SusatainableBusiness.com, November 30, 2009
China Beachhead: More Government Support for Chinese Clean-Tech Exports, WSJ, Environmental Capital, November 25, 2009
Study: Asia Surging in Clean-Tech Manufacturing, New York Times, Green Inc., November 19, 2009
Report warns of 'Asian Tigers' surging ahead, E&E, ClimateWire, November 19, 2009
Asia Set to Overtake U.S. in Green Technology, Financial Times, November 18, 2009
Flying Tigers: More Reasons to Worry About Asia's Clean-Tech Push, WSJ, Environmental Capital, November 18, 2009
Made in America by China: New Turbine Factory Offers Glimpse into the Future, SolveClimate, November 18, 2009
Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant -- New Report on Competitiveness in Clean Tech, Huffington Post, November 18, 2009
Midwestern Senator Puts Manufacturing Issues at Forefront of Climate Debate, New York Times, October 14, 2009
Clean Energy: U.S. Lags in Research and Development, TIME Magazine, August 1, 2009
Will America lose the clean-energy race?, The San Francisco Chronicle, July 27, 2009
SA lags far behind in funding for clean energy, Business Report, July 21, 2009
Asian Nations Could Outpace U.S. in Developing Clean Energy, The Washington Post, July 16, 2009
ACES Climate Bill
Energy Innovation: The Senate Starting Point, The New Republic, October 27, 2009
Waxman-Markey: Cap-and-Trade With Too Loose a Cap?, Wall Street Journal Blog, September 23, 2009
Brown Looks to Add More Money for Clean-Energy Jobs in Climate Bill, Washington Independent, September 21, 2009
Cap-and-trade Legislation is Spinning Out of Control, Columbus Dispatch, August 12, 2009
Harrabin's Notes: Breaking the jam, BBC News, August 5, 2009
Smart People Decry Toothless Climate Bill, The San Francisco Business Times Blog, July 16, 2009
Cap and Lose?, East Bay Express, July 8, 2009
What the Energy Bill Really Means for CO2 Emissions, TIME Magazine, June 27, 2009
Under House Energy Bill, Coal Won't be Going Away, The LA Times, June 22, 2009
Critics fault climate-change legislation, San Francisco Chronicle, June 22, 2009
Waxman-Markey Climate Bill: What's Next for Global Climate Deal?, The Wall Street Journal, May 22, 2009
Innovation: R&D and STEM Policy
"10.5 Trillion by 2030: The New 'It' Number?"
The New Republic, January 7, 2010
Is America Losing Its Mojo?, Newsweek, November 14, 2009
Senator Brown, Leading Energy Think Tanks Push for More Research Investment and New National Institutes of Energy, Huffington Post, September 18, 2009
National Institutes of Health: A Model for Jumpstarting Energy R&D, Huffington Post, September 18, 2009
Push is on for more clean energy research, Chicago Tribune, September 17, 2009
Call for a 'National Institutes of Energy' to propel research, ClimateWire: E&E News, September 17, 2009
How Many D's in Obama's Energy Pledge?, New York Times Dot Earth Blog, July 30, 2009
The Science Unfair, Good Magazine, July 27, 2009
Senate Pressed to Aid Obama on Energy Education, New York Times Dot Earth Blog, July 23, 2009
To Make Clean Energy Cheaper, U.S. Needs Bold Research Push, Yale Environment 360, April 30, 2009
More Media Coverage and Articles
"A Year in, New Ideas for Obama" Living on Earth, January 22, 2010
CNN Interviews Breakthrough Senior Fellow William Chaloupka, CNN, November 4, 2009
Behind Chamber Controversy: What's Driving Energy Firms On Climate Change?, Talking Points Memo: Muckraker, October 15, 2009
Green jobs may help CA out of recession, ABC 7, September 18, 2009
Wind in Wall Street's Sails: Investment rushes into wind, but can we make it last?, Huffington Post, September 3, 2009
Slime: The Friendly Face of Geo-engineering, Financial Times Blog, August 27, 2009
Senator Brown Calls for New Investments in Clean Energy Manufacturing, Huffington Post, August 12, 2009
RE-ENERGYSE a New Generation of Clean Energy Innovators, SolveClimate, July 24, 2009
The Green Bubble: Why environmentalism keeps imploding, The New Republic, May 20, 2009 (pdf, 180KB)
Obama Launches Energy Education Initiative, Huffington Post, April 30, 2009
How Democrats Can Win the Climate Debate, Huffington Post, April 8, 2009
Want to Save the World? Make Clean Energy Cheap, Huffington Post, March 9, 2009
Past Events
Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant ... Asia is poised to dominate the fast-growing clean energy industry by outspending the United States by at least three-to-one on infrastructure and technology, according to a new report, "Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant," which was released today by the Breakthrough Institute and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation at an event hosted by the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. (Nov 18, 2009)
Senator Brown, Leading Energy Think Tanks Push for More Research Investment and New National Institutes of Energy ... Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown joined Third Way and the Breakthrough Institute today to unveil a new report calling for both the creation of a "National Institutes of Energy" and a dramatic increase in federal funding for energy research and development to jumpstart a clean energy revolution. (Sept 17, 2009)
Is Cap and Trade Enough? Why Reducing Emissions Depends on Technology Innovation, The Breakthrough Institute joins the Brookings Institution and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation to discuss the need for a explicit innovation policy to discuss the price gap between fossil fuels and clean energy, and what innovation policies are needed to overcome it. (June 10, 2009)
Older Coverage
"Getting Real on Climate Change" (pdf) The American Prospect, December 2008
"Scrap Kyoto" (pdf), Democracy Journal June 2008
"Second Life: A Manifesto for a New Environmentalism" (pdf), The New Republic, October 2007
"Death Warmed Over: Beyond Environmentalism"(pdf), American Prospect October 2005
Curveball of the Year (pdf), Adbusters, Jan/Feb 2006
Best Idea, 2005 (pdf), Backpacker Magazine, August 2005
Move Over, Boomers (pdf), In These Times, June 21, 2005
Dead In The Water (pdf), Outside, May 2005
Rescuing Environmentalism (and the Planet) (pdf), The Economist, April 2005
I Have a Nightmare (pdf), New York Times, March 12, 2005
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Michael Shellenberger
President
The Breakthrough Institute
436 14th Street, Suite 820
Oakland, CA 94612
510.550.8800
Email for more information:
michael(at)thebreakthrough(dot)org
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