Yesterday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the United Nations’ International Year of Sustainable Energy for All , calling on businesses and governments around the world to speed the adoption of energy efficiency measures, rely more heavily on renewable energy sources, and help ensure universal energy access by 2030. “One in five people on the planet lacks access to electricity,” Ban wrote in a New York Times op-ed . “Twice as many, almost 3 billion, use wood, coal, charcoal, or animal waste to cook meals and heat homes, exposing themselves and their families to harmful smoke and fumes.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in Americans showing interest in buying an electric-drive vehicle has fallen about 17 percent during the past two years, as car buyers say the continued premium charged for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles doesn’t offset the effect of lower refueling costs, according to green-technology research firm Pike Research . Of the more than 1,000 people surveyed by Pike Research late last year, 40 percent said they were either “extremely” or “very” interested in purchasing a plug-in vehicle, down from 44 percent a year earlier and down from 48 percent in 2009. While respondents, on average, were willing to pay about 19 percent more for an electric-drive vehicle than for a conventional car with similar amenities, that difference is less than the premium automakers typically charge

The Solyndra scandal ?was a political football, but it also created real tangles for other solar companies. More than one withdrew from the Department of Energy’s loan guarantee program, which had backed the failed company. At least one company, though, has bounced back.

Former US Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explains why civil disobedience and #Occupy is so important in the age of big money.

by Robert Stavins. Cross-posted from An Economic View of the Environment . Two weeks of international climate negotiations begin today in Durban, South Africa

by Jesse Jenkins. Cross-posted from the Breakthrough Institute . Step right up to see the latest chapter in the ongoing political circus surrounding the bankruptcy of solar manufacturer and federal loan guarantee recipient Solyndra

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is in the spotlight on Capitol Hill today, facing questions from Congress about his involvement with bankrupt solar power company Solyndra.

Opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline received even more support this week when Sen. Harry Reid came out against the tar sands oil pipeline, a 1,700-mile long project from the Canada to the Gulf Coast. Reid penned an Oct.

by RL Miller. Like it or not, Politico drives morning chatter in Washington, D.C

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , UK Here’s one we’ll file under “For Sh*ts and Giggles.” Former Transport Secretary Philip Hammond told Auto Express that cash-strapped motorists in the UK, those that can’t afford soaring fuel prices, should “buy electric.” That’s interesting: Cash-strapped? Buy Electric! Hmm…