At Copenhagen, China may have been reluctant to sign an international treaty that heavily restricts its carbon emissions, but a new report from the Pew Environmental Group says that private investors there are pouring more money into clean energy than investors in any other country.
The total investment of $34.6 billion in China last year displaced the United States from the top spot.
Last year, the U.S. invested $18.6 billion, the second highest amount in the world. As a percent of GDP, however, the figure is relatively small. By this measure, Spain invested five times more last year, and China, Brazil and the United Kingdom invested 3 times more. The United States is also about to be edged out of its lead in installed renewable energy capacity, with rapid growth in installations in China leading to a “virtual tie” last year.
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