Bill Clinton Says Green Movement Strapped for Cash
- Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:14pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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NEW YORK (The Blaze/AP) — Former President Bill Clinton said Tuesday that the success of the alternative energy movement is hampered by a lack of financing. His comments came as world leaders attending his annual philanthropic conference expressed fears about rising seas.
The ex-president’s three-day Clinton Global Initiative for VIPs with deep pockets began Tuesday with a frank discussion about addressing global climate challenges, co-hosted by Mexican President Felipe Calderon and South African President Jacob Zuma.
There was a sense of frustration among the world leaders over the failure to create a legally binding world agreement on carbon emissions.
“We have seen much less progress than we hoped for,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.
Pointing to Germany’s successful creation of solar energy jobs as a model for other nations to emulate, Clinton said the main issue with green energy is a lack of proper funding.
“This has to work economically,” Clinton said. “You have to come up with the money on the front end.”
Clinton’s talk of renewable energy financing comes as Republicans are criticizing the Obama administration for awarding billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies for such projects, including a $528 million loan to a now-bankrupt California solar panel maker.
Fremont, Calif.-based Solyndra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month and laid off its 1,100 employees. The Silicon Valley company was the first renewable-energy company to receive a loan guarantee under a stimulus-law program to encourage green energy and was frequently touted by the Obama administration as a model.
Rising seas are a matter of life and death for small island nations, Zuma said.
“Not theoretical, not in the future, now,” he said. “And they can‘t understand why we’re failing to realize that.”
Noting that the Kyoto Protocol on climate change is set to expire next year, Calderon said progress must be made toward establishing new rules at the United Nations convention on climate change in Durban, South Africa, in November.
Calderon said he is concerned that the world’s economic problems are overshadowing the need for action on climate change.
“Last year we had the worst rains ever in Mexico, and this year we are living with the worst drought ever in Mexico,” he said. “I know that the world has a lot of troubles, but we are still facing the most challenging problem for human kind in the future, and that is climate change.”
Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of Bangladesh, said rising seas would submerge one-fifth of her country, displacing more than 30 million people. Clinton said the next countries most likely to be affected by climate change are places that are inland and hot – such as Mali, a landlocked nation in western Africa.
“A few years ago, after the south Asian tsunami, I spent a lot of time in the Maldives,” Clinton said. “I think it‘s quite possible that the Maldives won’t be here in 30 or 40 years.”
Clinton said Caribbean nations are microcosms of the problems associated with combating climate change. Every Caribbean nation should be energy-independent, he said, by generating solar, wind and geothermal energy.
“But only Trinidad has natural gas,” Clinton said. “Everybody else imports heavy oil to burn old-fashioned generators at high cost.”
Other leaders who participated in Tuesday’s panel included European Commission President Jose Barroso, Slovenian President Danilo Turk, Tillman Thomas, the prime minister of Grenada, and Cisse Mariam Kaidama Sidibe, the prime minister of Mali.
Last year’s GCI conference generated nearly 300 new commitments valued at $6 billion to tackle major global issues from poverty and disease to climate change.
“We’ve got to somehow involve the imagination of ordinary people,” Clinton said. “They have to understand that this is not a burden, it’s an opportunity.”
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Comments (158)
Gypsy123
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:53pmThey ain’t got no green cause they spent it all. They took the stimulus and spend it on scrotum washing projects in Africa
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:10pmThanks, Gypsy123, for the reminder! I had forgotten all about that program! I thought others might want a more thorough reminder of our government’s largesse: http://costonscomplaint.blogspot.com/2010/09/stimulus-bill-pays-for-african-scrotum.html
Report Post »There are a number of other interesting references, such as scrotum lifters (of Pakistani origin)–I wonder if our voters haven’t a hand in the issue–by electing the drech that presently occupies much of Washington!
1casawizard
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:31pmDo they have scrotum washing projects in Africa??
Report Post »obama-mecca-me-sick
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:55pmGreen movement = redistribution scam on global scale ask the Green movement wizard Joel Rogers
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bh3jWqiUw0
They SMEAR what they FEAR
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:09pmWOW….I’m not surprised but always shocked at the blatant admittance of the scam from the very mouths of the perps yet, main stream ignorant america knows nothing.
Report Post »Chappy123
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:10pmBingo!
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:16pmNow Bill, you know that Al Gore bought an ocean-front $9M house right on a beach recently. You’ve probably been there. So…. if Al Gore spent $9M on a beach front house we all know that the Ocean is not going to rise 20 feet in the near or far future. So Bill… stop telling lies. Well, you can keep the Monica lies, but stop all the global warming lies. At least until Al Gore moves to the mountains.
Report Post »Rightsofman
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:18pmI won’t be here then either. Send me $ quick.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:33pmHey Bill, why do we even need the Maldives Islands? Why don’t you have all the inhabitants go stand at one side of it and it will “tip over and capsize” just like Rep. Hank Johnson said of Guam in a House session? Don’t believe me? Check it out. Yep, a member of the House of Representatives said that if too many Marines were located at one end of Guam the Island would “tip over and capsize”. After hearing that I don’t trust anything a Democrat tells me. Here’s the link;
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZczIgVXjg
The10thAmendment
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 11:41pmGood, let that quack science and movement fail. Drill baby drill. Oil, Natural gas, coal, and shale. We have more energy wealth than OPEC nations combined.
Report Post »ashestoashes
Posted on September 21, 2011 at 12:02am@ The Monk…You are on a roll tonight. “why don’t you have all the inbabitants stand on one side and it could turn over and capsize..I remember that. Thanks for the laugh.
Report Post »HKS
Posted on September 21, 2011 at 6:41amMaybe the sheep are waking up and seeing the biggest shame in world history.
Report Post »ACLUHater
Posted on September 21, 2011 at 3:55pmThe only thing rising are the bank accounts of the green agenda pushers. What a freakin scam.
Report Post »mdw9661
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:53pmSounds like the green energy gravy train is derailed. Oh, and is Bill Clinton trying to contribute to global warming by having someone pull his finger?
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:56pmIf the “green movement” needs cash, I suggest they head on over to Al Gores house, because I hear that he has made tens of millions of dollars with his green pitch, so maybe he can donate to the cause……….and at any second, monkeys will begin flying out of my b@tt……
Report Post »1casawizard
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:00pmWhat, Me Worry? Bro. Bill is like a who. He’ll do/say what it take to make the almighty $…
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:52pmLet it die on the vine until someone come up with a workable solution. If it works well it will sell itself!
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:09pmMaybe Clinton is bucking for a job on Current TV
Report Post »nosycophant
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:52pmWere all strapped you ASS CLOWN.
Report Post »MadeintheUSA2
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:50pmAccording to Clinton, “You have to come up with the money on the front end.”
Report Post »Yeah, so we can ALL get in the “back end” when “those greedy-ass, rich people” take the money and run!
1casawizard
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:50pmI could use a little GREEN myself. Alternative energy could start by loosening up the EPA regs. on drilling for oil and natural gas which we probably have more than the Middle Eastern countries. Our $ is going over there when it needs to stay here. Let’s be more independent. Let’s sell oil to our neighbors. Our earth has been cooling for four billion years. The sun is our greatest influence on our climate. Solar and wind energy is fine but, not perfected. The perfect solution for independent energy for cars/homes in my opinion has not come around.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:22pmYOU TELL ‘em!!!
Report Post »psadie
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:45pmBill is so intent on helping other nations, as usual, that he ignores his own country. WHY are the oil rigs still sitting silent in the Gulf when this HUGE oil ship from China will be on its way after hurricane season to drill just south of Florida? WHY were those permits not given back to our workers and companies? We have an energy crisis and Obama is doing nothing about it. WHAT THE HELL??? Wind and solar are a long way off, look at the HUGE scandal with Solyndra. You want jobs then OK the permits now. This is all BS. Someone needs to go to prison along with Bill Clinton who pocketed enough cash to fill his coffers.
Report Post »The Meem
Posted on September 21, 2011 at 3:02amA fellow near where I live has put in a geo-thermal system, solar panels, and is seeking permission from the HOA (why he didn’t buy 10 acres out some where is still a puzzle) but he chose our small neighborhood for his “green home.” The wind turbine he bought used, about $15,000 I think he said. Then there are the solar panels and the GTS, about 4 feet into the ground, cut through rock. Even then he said all this would not support his AC in the summer. I admire his interest in this green technology, and I would like to be “off the grid”, I know that all this stuff has years and years to go before it is affordable to the average guy. So, if I really want off the grid, I better buy a lot of candles, move into a tent, find a nice stream to wash my clothes in, and learn to hunt. On second thought, I will just stay in my little house where it is cool, until Obummer makes all forms of energy so expensive, we all will be living off the grid.
Report Post »RA0725
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:45pmRight now, the Dept. of Energy has over $38 Billion in alternative energy loans/grants/projects. That’s taxpayer money being poured on these projects with no end in sight. They are not economically viable simply because they require these huge subsidies to exist. It’s outrageous.
http://www.lgprogram.energy.gov/
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:00pmMeanwhile, we are exporting huge amounts of coal, rather than burning it here! Electric vehicles? You mean “Coal powered” vehicles! Bill needs to buy a “Green Camper” for his retirement. With wind and solar chargers, he can visit a campground and within a week, get enough of a charge to move 80 miles to the next campground! It would be a perfect match! Now, I‘m not sure I’d want to wait a week for my orange juice to make it up here (Mid-Atlantic) from Florida on a Solar train! So, there is an energy source for every persuasion–get it! Choose what works for you and let your neighbors do the same!
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:03pmIt’s probably better to spend it this way than on Food Stamps, unless we could harness a “Pull my finger” movement with energy deposit stations everywhere! Everybody could do their part! It would be a gas!
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:44pmAs usual, Clinton is WRONG! You don’t need to come up with the money up front; you only need to come up with a net present value that shows a return on investment! With an attractive return, investors would be all over it–no need for foolish government subsidies! (And, yes, you have to assign value to things we normally consider priceless, such as human life, an island nation, etc. in order to financially model it! Sorry, folks, it’s just the facts of life! I wish it were some other way, but thank God we have the intellectual capacity to model such things, so we can take corrective action and don’t have to suffer the consequences! My problem with the Green Movement is that it is intellectually, politically and scientifically dishonest! Most conservatives I know are more green in their actions and thoughts than the more liberal or progressive Greens! It is expensive to waste resources–Duh!)
Report Post »nothiefsallowed
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:41pmfeel free to copy and paste ; o http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution
Report Post »o So what can be taken by the Wall Street Occupation? Many people warned it was coming, they told us they were doing it. The news media banned it for 4 days from anyone seeing them organize it by blacking out the media meaning they all agreed not to show it on any network anywhere, many protests happened throughout the USA, it was never shut down though they camped on private property without permission, yet there was no hint that the media was even covering it though they interviewed people time after time from day one, as their news vans sat out front filming and taking pictures and interviews? The same organizations that started Egypt, Libya and Tunisias uprisings told us they were coming on this day of Sept 17 . Ever hear about the Arab Spring and when they were told to “Rise Up” in those other countries, and how “there has never seen so much courage” from the man behind the curtain? The articles have been there I told as many people as I respectively could. This isn’t fortune telling people they said they were coming the came, they pulled permits to march. Look at the groups marching together hand in hand, like they did in those other countries, and if you think these people are peaceful you are sadly mistaken, possible gravely. They are pawns being used to insite riots for misc. reasons. These people went in because they were mad about the government, but the problem lies with the o
kindling
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:40pmI can’t wait, and neither can the country for that matter, until we get someone in the White House that understands that the government needs to get out of everyone’s business so we can get to work inventing energy saving products for people to choose to buy. The market will give us everything we need if people like Soros and Obama would fail at what they are doing. Make the federal government protection of our borders only. Make elected reps stay in their own state and communicate with other lawmakers over the net. Make it all public so we know the truth. That would make it hard for all the BS we are getting now.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:53pmYou know, if we had a Zero Corporate Income Tax, business would get out of government, too! Wouldn’t that be nice! No more handouts, tax concessions (from being overtaxed in the first place), and regulations focused on assuring a level playing field, rather than engineering social justice and favors in return for campaign contributions! Hmmm, if we could just get government out of business and business out of government–Wow, now THAT would be an accomplishment!
Report Post »NOMOBIGDRAMANOBAMA
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:40pmBill Clinton wouldn’t be banging on this drum unless he had found a payday at the end of the song! Another POS
Report Post »338lapua
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:39pmUm….Bill, The clue phone is ringing……..
Report Post »psssssttttt the University of East Anglia ring any bells?
Just sneak out, no-one will notice!
IIIcorp
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:39pmBill has been out of the limelight since the Haitian earthquake. I haven’t heard that the people are any better. I think Al G convinced him to invest in green energy and with all these companies taking money and going bankrupt, he needs a way to recoup his losses.
Report Post »MrButcher
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:38pmDon’t go Green.
go reason!
Report Post »vennoye
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 11:00pm$64,000,000,000.00 question is WHOSE REASON????? Some people’s reason is insanity!!!
Report Post »NOBALONEY
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:34pmThat vegan diet has affected his thinking. Solyndra!
Report Post »Darla_K
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:33pmIt is about time that these other countries who are so worried about climate change foot the bill and leave us alone. We have enough to deal with the green crazies in this country.
Report Post »ooskerDoo
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:32pmHow many islands have disappeared in the last 10 years? If the water is rising, wouldn’t we be missing a few? Where’s the data?
Report Post »Moonbat
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:46pmUm, yeah, actually. They are. Here’s a link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/368892.stm
Report Post »RA0725
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:48pmThey capsized.
Report Post »ThorLoser
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:05pmBeach mining and erosion are different than rising oceans inundating an atol. Try again.
Report Post »Mikev5
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:09pmIts a natural thing not man made how many times do we need to say this get off the global warming lie. get a clue
Report Post »TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:32pmNo such thing as man-made global warming as thinking people know. But by golly, these libs will try anything to milk and bilk the country out of cash for their own gain. Go away, Clinton…Just fade away.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:30pmSort of found themselves short on GREEN?
Report Post »Jnelson59
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:38pmLol….took the words right out of my mouth
Report Post »4truth2all
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:05pmIf the green movement was such a go, then they would have the green to make it go.
Report Post »Cat
Posted on September 21, 2011 at 5:39amEest assured the hidden hand is in the gold pot.
Report Post »Cat
Posted on September 21, 2011 at 5:40amThat would be; ‘Rest’
Report Post »olddog
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:30pmIt’s really funny that Clinton is popular because he is admired by blacks, when the truth is he did Very Little for the black communities, Actually George Bush did the most for Blacks by a 10 to 1 margin over Bill..These are facts, not made up.. And Hilary will run for pres. in 2012 although no leftist has a chance. Also facts, check out the voting and elections for the last 2-years..
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:37pmJust like they give Johnson credit for the Civil Rights Movement, when Eisenhower and Nixon were the prime movers in that regard!
Report Post »V-MAN MACE
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:45pmBut who told you that Clinton is popular because he is “admired” by blacks? The media.
I don’t think you go on Arsenio Hall, play a sax in sunglasses, say you hit the weed but didn’t inhale, and have the media call you “The first black president” and then get to claim the title of “admired by blacks”.
That’s a lie perpetrated by the MSM and people regurgitating their programming.
In a farce of a war on drugs, black incarceration rates tripled during Clinton Presidency. Fact.
Bush did a lot for blacks in New Orleans.
A lot.
Pfft.
Report Post »Moonbat
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:48pm@ Salamander
Absolutely. All Johnson did was propose a Civil Rights bill, convince a bitterly divided Congress to pass it, and sign it.
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:29pmI hope big nose Bill is right and all the idiots who push the ‘green’ BS go out of business for good and don’t get any taxpayer money.Of course the Marxist in chief will be happy to throw our money away on the pipe dream of green energy.Green energy worked great for Spain,it gave them 20% unemployment we need more of that.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:27pmSounds like Climate, not Climate Change, to me!
Report Post »netmail
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:27pmNot many great financial minds in the green industry huh? Just those
Report Post »who know how to steal from our government. FAIL.
TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:26pmYou scored again, Tom. Love the humor.
Report Post »tom
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:25pmI understand Obama is hosting a “Gay-la soon. Is this to support his radical gay agenda. Clinton called himself the “first black president” will Obama call himself the first gay president? A little humor! Either way, vote him out in 2012.
Report Post »1casawizard
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 9:03pmObama needs to get sex change for another first.
Report Post »vorpal
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:09pmSlick Willy can always come up with some of his dough for this boondoggle.
Report Post »Show the love Willy!!!!!!
vorpal
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:10pmthe crying game…LOL
Report Post »Thevoice
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:23pmI wonder if he was worried about rising seas when Monica was under the desk ….
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:34pmClinton…. A stain on Monica’s dress…. and a stain on America.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:36pmNah, she could smoke the periscope! He wasn’t even worried about whether a few cruise missiles that had to fly more than 1,000 miles could sneak up on Osama bin Laden! Thank you, Bill, for the past 10 years and 9-11, which got the past decade off to a good start! Now, why don‘t you think about donating some of your gigantic speaking fees to Al Gore’s Poetic Fraud–The Green Movement! You guys have so politically contaminated the landscape that it is almost impossible to have a meaningful, science-based discussion on the subject! Green-this, green-that; pretty soon, you’ll be talking Soylent Green, and this Seasoned Citizen isn’t very happy at the thought! I’d like to know: “Where do you genius lawyers get off, posing as science experts?” If a scientist posed as a legal beagle, you’d have him arrested for impersonating a lawyer (kind of an oxymoron if you ask me–How can one imPERSONate a lawyer?).
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on September 20, 2011 at 8:50pmBe glad he was more involved in staining young intern’s dresses than in building a dynasty! Can you imagine if we had 5 or 10 sons/daughters of his ilk on the political scene. (Chelsea, please forgive me–this is a political statement and not a personal one.)
Report Post »