Clean Economy Now: Stories from the Frontlines of an American Business Revolution

by Bob Keefe, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Foreword by)

Overview

An inspiring look at the Clean Energy Revolution

Combining the instincts of a journalist and the insight of the leader of a national business organization at the forefront of climate policy, Bob Keefe provides the first in-depth look at how the most important climate action in history is reshaping our economy, the way we live, and the future of our planet. He shows how the future long predicted by pundits, policymakers and prognosticators has arrived, and how smart businesses and communities are seizing the opportunities that come with it. Keefe introduces readers to the next generation of clean energy entrepreneurs and innovators, and takes us to places like Kings Mountain, N.C. and Blue Oval City, Tenn., modern-day clean economy frontier towns where battery and electric vehicle factories are sprouting from fallow fields and reinvigorating communities previously bypassed by earlier economic shifts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538183045
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/02/2024
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Bob Keefe, executive director of E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) a national, nonpartisan group of business owners, investors and professionals who leverage economic research and their business perspective to advance policies that are good for the environment and good for the economy, is the author of Climatenomics: Washington, Wall Street, and the Economic Battle to Save Our Planet (R&L, 2022). Previously, Keefe spent nearly 25 years as a journalist, reporting for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Cox Newspapers chain, the St. Petersburg Times, and the Austin American-Statesman. He resides in San Diego, California.

Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Revolution

Chapter 2: Policy Matters

Chapter 3: Modern-Day Triple Play

Chapter 4: Energy: “We Need More Electricity”

Chapter 5: Engines: “This Changes Everything Now”

Chapter 6: Electrification: “Heat Pumps Are Sexy”

Chapter 7: Emerging Innovation: “Looking to the Future, and It’s Very Bright”

Chapter 8: Equity: “Now Is the Time”

Chapter 9: States: “Right in the Middle of a Huge Revolution”

Chapter 10: Division (and Hope) on the Front Lines: “It’s Not Either the Economy or the Environment”

Chapter 11: Remaking the Country: “We Think This Is Big”

Chapter 12: Reshaping the World: “One of the Most Transformative Opportunities in Modern History”

Epilogue: “Now Is Not the Time to Go Backward”

Notes

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

If you want to understand the once-in-a-generation opportunities of America’s clean economy revolution, read this book. As author Bob Keefe lays out, businesses are leading the way, and the only thing that can stop us now is if we make the mistake of letting smart climate investments get caught in the crosshairs of our political and cultural wars.

Benji Backer

The transition to a clean economy isn’t about sacrifice. It’s about creating jobs, saving money, keeping our kids healthy and our world safe. In Clean Economy NOW, Bob Keefe lays out how America has finally gotten on a path to a brighter tomorrow – and why it would be disastrous for us to turn back now.

Gina McCarthy

We’re at the beginning of the business opportunity of a lifetime – and the best opportunity we have left to combat climate change, improve equity, and expand clean energy for all. To understand the connections between policy, economy, markets and trends, smart business leaders should read Clean Economy NOW.

Jon Carson

For anyone who wants to grasp the clean energy boom that’s reshaping the economy, creating generational opportunity for American workers, and strengthening our hand in the climate fight, this is essential reading. In sharp and vivid prose, Keefe takes readers behind the headlines and onto the factory floors where a stunning bid—worth some $120 billion and counting—is playing out to get this country off the sidelines and into the forefront of the global quest for clean energy primacy.... In the skillful hands of Keefe, a seasoned journalist-turned–entrepreneurial advocate, we learn what’s at stake for the country in the boldest economic play of our time—and the critical role of public policy in supporting it.... In a masterpiece of solid reporting that reads in places like a high-tech thriller, Keefe tracks the innovation and investment that’s creating good-paying jobs, transforming the American economy into a clean energy dynamo, and strengthening the supply chain for the building blocks of a modern society. He has a gift for summing up the sweep of this epic shift.... In this compact and tightly written volume, Keefe delivers a tour d’horizon of a clean energy boom grounded in new, expanded, and reopened factories to build solar panels.... In addition to reporting on this new economy, Keefe introduces us to a cast of entrepreneurs, community leaders, electricians, assembly line workers, and others who see in their jobs not just a paycheck but also a purpose: to do their part to confront the climate crisis that threatens our future. More than simply echoing the optimism of others, Keefe brings to the story his own hopeful vision of a cleaner, more equitable, and more prosperous future for those who, like his three daughters, will inherit the world as we leave it.... If you’ve wondered whether U.S. manufacturers can compete with foreign rivals to build the solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and advanced batteries we need to break our dependence on fossil fuels, this book shows how and where we’re doing exactly that. If you’ve ever thought politicians were spinning a false choice between economic growth and a sustainable future, this book lays that myth to rest, chapter and verse. And if you’re exhausted by high-octane rhetoric and politically charged screeds, you’ll be relieved by the scrupulously bipartisan focus Keefe brings to the opportunities fanning out across red states and blue.”

NRDC blog

Federal and state clean energy policies are unlocking unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses across America and helping improve equity in the places most in need. Read this book and you’ll understand how and what it all means to your company, your community, and our planet.

Ariel Fan

To reduce the accelerating impacts of climate change, we must boldly shift to a Clean Economy - NOW. This is the book you need to read to understand the businesses, the policies, and the economic opportunity behind the clean energy revolution, and why companies, consumers - and our planet - can’t afford for America to go backward again.

Manish Bapna

In Clean Economy NOW, Bob Keefe masterfully illustrates what Milton Freidman told us decades ago: There is power in tapping free enterprise to solve our environmental challenges. Through his in-depth look at how American businesses are responding to the climate crisis, he shows that a healthy economy and a healthy environment can – and should - go hand-in-hand.

Bob Inglis

From the foreword: As Bob Keefe details in Clean Economy NOW, we are on the cusp of a business revolution in America like we haven’t seen in generations. We can lead the world in the most important economic transition in history. The only thing that can stop it is us.

Arnold Schwarzenegger