From the Desk of the Editor in Chief
For decades, the leading industrialized nations have engaged in a fierce competition to see who could generate the biggest economic growth powered by smoke-belching, resource-consuming factories and carbon-based energy.
In the emerging economic battle of the 21st century, the competition is just as fierce, but it is much healthier—and it points to a brighter future. A global consensus has emerged that economic activity must be sustainable and green, powered by renewable resources. The major industrial powers and a rising China are engaged in a mad scramble to corner the market for green technologies.
In our businessfacilities.com blog, we recently reported that China rapidly is positioning itself to be the leading producer of solar panels and wind energy components, using its huge domestic market for leverage. Ironically, China may claim the top spot in solar energy production while also achieving the dubious honor of being the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
In this month’s Global Issue, we take a look at who is grabbing the lead in the race to build a clean, green high-tech economic machine. Our 15th annual international tour makes it clear this race truly is global: bullfighting rings are making room for an Energy Park in Barcelona; butterfly watchers in Trinidad soon will be welcomed to a 1,110-acre eco-technology park; and beermeisters in Berlin are rubbing shoulders with Europe’s most advanced Clean Tech Business Park.
The scope of the activity is breathtaking—and a breath of fresh air.
