"Green Economy Grows Despite Policy Vacuum"

"The green economy continues to show almost remarkable signs of vitality, business leaders say, despite the near-total collapse of global talks, stalemate in Washington, D.C., and polls showing decreased urgency to tackle global warming.

Driving the industry, investors say,  are consumer interest in the environmental and economic benefits of energy efficiency, corporate sustainability mandates and essentially a bet that at some point there will be a price on carbon emissions.

'Although there was definitely a loss of momentum for green business after Copenhagen, many sustainability initiatives are not in response to regulation,' said Marc Gunther, editor of Greener World Media, publisher of GreenBiz.com and the annual State of Green Business report.

Two companies that track clean-tech investments see signs of robust growth on the horizon. Nick Parker, co-founder of the Cleantech Group, a San Francisco-based outfit that tracks and advises green investments, estimates the sector could be a $3 trillion economy within 10 years. Last year private investment in clean-tech totaled $5.8 billion, according to Cleantech."

Heather King reports for The Daily Climate March 30, 2010.