California

Resilience System


You are here

Home

Economics

Solar is Having a Great Year, Except on Wall Street

Fri, 2015-08-14 13:48 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Solar panels are seen in the Palm Springs area, California April 13, 2015. Picture taken April 13, 2015.
Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

reuters.com - by Nichola Groom - August 14, 2015

By almost any measure, the U.S. solar market is on fire.

Installations of solar panels are expected to soar by a third this year, the price of solar power is now cheap enough to compete neck and neck with gas and coal-fired power in places like California, and the fledgling industry received a vote of confidence last week when U.S. President Barack Obama announced a groundbreaking plan to curb power plant emissions. Even China's currency devaluation could cut panel costs for U.S. solar installers.

Wall Street, however, has been dumping solar shares this year, largely on concern, which investors say is misplaced, that tumbling oil prices will sap demand for alternative energy, even though oil isn't used to generate power.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Country / Region Tags: 
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Economics
Energy
Renewables
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

California Gov. Jerry Brown Orders Aggressive Greenhouse Gas Cuts By 2030

Sun, 2015-05-03 16:47 — Maeryn Obley

Governer Jerry Brown.

Image: Governer Jerry Brown.

huffingtonpost.com - April 29th 2015 - Kate Sheppard

California Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order Wednesday directing the state to cut is greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, the toughest proposed cuts of any state in the nation.

The 2030 target will ensure that California can meet its emissions target for the middle of this century, which calls for an 80 percent cut by 2050, Brown said. The state is already on pace to meet its goal of bringing heat-trapping emissions down to 1990 levels by 2020, a target set under a 2006 state law.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Climate
Economics
Environment
Government
Policy
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Solutions

Ebola becomes latest stock scam, U.S. SEC says

Thu, 2014-11-20 11:08 — mike kraft

REUTERS                                                                                                 NOV. 20, 2014
By Sarah N. Lynch

U.S. regulators on Thursday suspended trading in four small over-the-counter stocks of companies that they said have been touting the development of products to prevent or treat the Ebola virus, and warned investors to beware of similar scams.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said it had suspended trading in the shares of New York-based Bravo Enterprises Ltd, California-based Immunotech Laboratories Inc, Canada-based Myriad Interactive Media Inc and Wholehealth Products Inc, which is also located in California.

The SEC also issued a warning that "con artists" may be soliciting investors and claiming to be developing treatments or medicine to prevent the deadly virus.

Read complete story

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/20/us-sec-ebola-scams-idUSKCN0J41V820141120

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
Africa
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Disease
Economics
Government
Health
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Problem

California’s Cap-and-Trade a Versatile Tool for Environmental Policies

Mon, 2014-06-23 17:11 — Kathy Gilbeaux

environmentalleader.com - by Erica Morehouse - June 23, 2014

Governor Brown signed a budget last week that lays out for the first time how to invest the millions from California’s landmark cap-and-trade program ($734 million so far). California has shown another way that cap-and-trade is like the Swiss army knife of environmental policies: a versatile tool known for its usefulness and adaptability.

A Multi-faceted Investment Portfolio

California will invest $850 million over the next year to reduce dangerous climate pollution, a portfolio of investments that will benefit almost every part of California’s economy, going to low-carbon and public transportation, weatherization and energy efficient buildings, water efficiency, waste diversion, and natural resources like urban forests.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Country / Region Tags: 
United States
US - West
General Topic Tags: 
Climate
Economics
Energy
Environment
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

Report: Threats to Water System Must be Fixed to Help State's Economy

Sun, 2012-06-03 19:08 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Samuel Bendett

      

A crew works on levee in the Natomas Basin in this file photo. According to a new report, the state’s biggest water-related concerns include the risk of catastrophic flood or disruptions in the water supply due to levee failures, declining ground water basins and continued uncertainty about the reliability of water supplies.
Todd Quam|Digital Sky Aerial Imaging

Sacramento Business Journal - by Melanie Turner - May 31, 2012

Threats to California's water system must be addressed now in order for the state's economy to grow and prosper, according to a report by the Public Policy Institute of California released late Wednesday.

The continued expansion of water management tools, such as the reuse of highly treated wastewater, underground storage and water "banking," will allow California to manage future water shortages, the report concludes.

The report represents a consensus view of a wide-ranging group of experts on the role of water in the state's economy.

Country / Region Tags: 
US - West
General Topic Tags: 
Economics
Water
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Situation Report

Resilience Alliance

Sat, 2012-01-28 10:29 — mdmcdonald

There are many definitions of resilience from simple deterministic views of resilience anchored in Newtonian mechanics to far more dynamic views of resilience from a systems perspective, including insights from quantum mechanics and the sciences of complexity.  One baseline perspective of resilience sees it in terms of the viability of socio-ecological systems as the foundation for sustainability.  For those that are ready to look beyond resilience as the ability to return to the "normal state" before a disaster, take a look at:

http://www.resalliance.org/

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
US - West
General Topic Tags: 
Adaptation
Agriculture
Capacity
Cities
Climate
Collapse
Complexity
Cooperation
Culture
Demographics
Disaster Response
Economics
Ecosystems
Energy
Environment
Infrastructure
Oceans
Policy
Population
Resilience
Scarcity
Security
Sustainable Development
Vulnerability
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Solutions
Problem

Mesh Cities

Sat, 2012-01-28 09:54 — mdmcdonald

 

What does it take to become a smart city?  Why are mesh cities important to sustainability?

 

For more information:

<http://www.meshcities.com/>

Country / Region Tags: 
US - West
General Topic Tags: 
Capacity
Cities
Communication
Community
Complexity
Development
Economics
Ecosystems
Energy
Environment
Infrastructure
Land Use
Policy
Resilience
Sustainable Development
Technology
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Solutions
Problem

California creates new corporation types that reward doing good

Tue, 2011-11-01 00:31 — JRees

By: Kyle Westaway

Even as Wall Street is being occupied and corporations are reviled, there is a revolution quietly raging across the country that empowers corporations to be a strong force for good. This week, California joined that revolution when Governor Jerry Brown created two new classes of corporations for businesses that seek to pursue both profit and purpose: Benefit Corporations and Flexible Purpose Corporations.

These new legal structures are revolutionary in two ways. First, they broaden the duty of a company beyond maximizing shareholder value to include maximizing stakeholder value, such as operating the business in an environmental and social responsible manner. Second, they increase transparency and accountability.

Though it is the first state to pass the Flexible Purpose Corporation type, California is the sixth state to approve the Benefit Corporation classification.

Here is a look at exactly what Benefit Corporations and Flexible Purpose Corporations are, and what they could mean for your company.

What is a Benefit Corporation?

The Benefit Corporation is a new class of corporation that allows companies to pursue profit as well as a strong social and environmental mission.

United States
Economics
Solutions

Social Innovation in Venice California

Tue, 2011-09-27 07:26 — mdmcdonald

Venice, California has long been a center of innovation within Los Angeles.  Its boardwalk is a spectacle of creativity and entrepreneurship in an open community setting, where the LA megalopolis meets the beach and the Pacific Ocean.  This combination attracts millions of visitors a year in a very small area.

As a result, Venice -- in addition to its opportunities, also struggles with significant and growing challenges with homelessness, drugs, and crowd control, amongst the other problems that all communities face in an economic downturn within a time of energy descent. 

The result?  Both the opportunities and the problems now require creative energy from the Venice community itself to shape what Venice wants to be in the early 21st century. 

Please place your comments on how Venice community members might think about shaping their community to enhance it during the challenging years ahead. 

 

Meeting / Event Tags: 
Product Demonstrations
Country / Region Tags: 
US - West
General Topic Tags: 
Adaptation
Agriculture
Capacity
Cities
Citizens
Community
Cooperation
Culture
Development
Economics
Ecosystems
Energy
Environment
Food
Growth
Housing / Shelter
Ideas
Infrastructure
Land Use
Policy
Politics
Pollution
Population
Sustainable Development
Transportation
Vulnerability
Waste
Water
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Solutions
Problem

Pages

Subscribe to Economics
howdy folks