The Kyoto Protocol to prevent climate change and global warming will end in 2012. From December 6-18, Copenhagen will host a Climate Conference to create a Copenhagen Protocol that will renew a global climate agreement. Over 8,000 individuals are expected to attend, including government representatives from over 170 countries. Many clean energy companies that produce the tools and technology that help diminish the creation of greenhouse gases are skeptical about the value of the conference.   Far more valuable, in their opinion, is the ability of national governments’ to provide compelling incentives for developing technologies like solar power and wind. Progress in the clean tech industry will be stunted without consistent federal policy.

A New York Times November 18 article entitled, Companies Call Government Incentives A Key To Green, covered both sides to this issue.  Many believe that the key to productive results rests on our government’s ability to provide rich incentives. A carbon reduction plan that places a high price on carbon, for example, is one way to spur action. Others disagree. “Of course carbon price, whether foreign or domestic, is the critical element in the long-term economics of renewables and efficiency — but is of relatively little consequence now,” Seth Kaplan, a vice president at the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental group, was quoted in the NYTimes piece.

Others feel that a new agreement reached  in Copenhagen will help to strengthen the progress already made. “By pushing to the fore the quest to reduce emissions and promote clean energy, Copenhagen can spur action by national governments, ” states  Mark Pinto, The Chief Technology Officer for Applied Materials, a solar products manufacturer.

China and Britain are agressively pursuing wind initiatives, India is making huge progress in Solar energy and many of the emerging markets, are striving to reduce emissions and promote global sustainability. It appears that the meetings in Copenhagen will provide an interesting glimpse into the future of our global sustainable progress.