To create jobs and save money, several European metropolitan areas are building public-private partnerships that create innovative clean energy solutions the Portland area can learn from, says Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder.
In Birmingham, England, the Detroit of Europe is reviving itself with by inventing fuel efficient car technology for sale to Chinese manufacturers.
In Rotterdam, Netherlands, the port, the local government and the leading business association are collaborating on a redevelopment plan for 4,000 acres. They’re pioneering ways to use waste heat and carbon dioxide for agricultural uses.
"Why are they working collaboratively on the issue of climate change and transferring to a non-fossil fuel based economy?" Burkholder said. "Well, it’s because they’re going to make a lot of money."
Burkholder visited Birmingham, Rotterdam and Bologna, Italy, late last year in a three week trip funded by a fellowship from the German Marshall Fund of the United States. The report he wrote as part of the program details why he believes Europeans are tackling climate change more aggressively than Americans: economic opportunity, increasing demand for clean energy, energy independence and potential for floods and other effects.