Please Save Solar Industry Worldwide: Stop Trade War & Tariffs on China!

This video presents ” China reduces solar power costs with large-scale manufacturing”:

“Over the past decade, China has become the world’s leading manufacturer of solar energy technologies;
- China’s solar manufacturers have helped drive down the cost of solar power around the world with their large-scale production facilities and solar panel exports

ClimateWorks traveled to China to get a sense of the scale of China’s solar manufacturing efforts and talk to some local experts about China’s goals for dramatically scaling up its domestic deployment of solar energy technologies“

Please Save Solar Industry Worldwide: Stop Trade War & Tariffs on China!

In the following letter, the Avaaz team is asking for our help to:

Urge the EU Trade Commissioner and the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to hold urgent talks with China and develop policies that support jobs and innovation and speed up the clean energy revolution for the following reasons:
- The crucial green energy revolution is at risk:
  - Even though climate change is accelerating, clean energy is booming, producing nearly 20% of the world’s electricity!
- While China, the EU, and the US all funnel billions in taxpayer subsidies into Big Coal and Oil to destroy our planet, China is also providing huge loans and subsidies to the solar industry:
- And that’s exactly what other governments have failed to do
- Chinese government has invested billions in solar industry, sending panel prices plummeting and making clean green tech almost as cheap as dirty fossil fuels
- Some claim that domestic jobs are threatened by low cost Chinese panels, but the truth is the opposite:
  - Experts predict that tariffs could cost 60,000 jobs in the US alone
  - The vast majority of jobs in the solar sector outside of China are in installing and servicing panels, not manufacturing them, so cheaper panels now means more work, and more jobs.
    - And less climate change
- But the US and EU are about to drive solar prices back up by putting tariffs on China
- Now China is threatening to retaliate

Please click on the “Sign The Petition” banner in the Avaaz letter below to save the global solar industry:
- The EU and US are deciding right now:
  - “We’re in a race against the clock to green our economies and prevent catastrophic climate change, and Chinese success in green tech could be the perfect catalyst for the rest of the world to scale up the technology and sustainably bring down prices.”
- At the present time of this blog posting, 476,966 have signed:
  - Please help us get to 500,000 signers by signing the petition in the Avaaz”s letter below and forward it to everyone:
    - If we build a 500,000 strong petition, Avaaz will make a formal submission to the US International Trade Commission and EU trade Commissioner calling for talks not tariffs:

“Dear friends,

There’s new hope on climate change, with 20% of the world’s electricity being produced by renewables! China’s aggressively invested billions in solar energy, making it almost as cheap as fossil fuels. But, instead of meeting that investment, the EU and US may be about to slap tariffs on Chinese solar panels, preventing a green revolution. Sign the petition to stop a trade war, and hold talks to save solar:

Climate change is accelerating, but there’s a massive ray of hope: clean energy is booming, producing nearly 20% of the world’s electricity! Incredibly, the US and EU are threatening to stifle this breakthrough — but together we can stop them.

In the last decade the Chinese government has invested billions in solar, sending panel prices plummeting and making clean green tech almost as cheap as dirty fossil fuels. But the US and EU, who give billions in taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil and Coal, are about to drive solar prices back up by putting tariffs on China, and now China is threatening to retaliate. A full on trade war is brewing that could kill the crucial green energy revolution.

The EU and US are deciding right now. Most of the solar industry is against tariffs — and now massive public support could tip the balance. Sign the urgent petition to save solar – if we build a 500,000 strong petition, Avaaz will make a formal submission to the US International Trade Commission and EU trade Commissioner calling for talks not tariffs:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/a_ray_of_hope_on_climate/?bkyeWbb&v=17606

China has a poor human rights and environmental record, and its strategy of flooding the global market with subsidised goods could be found to be too aggressive. But the right response to this is not tariffs, it is investment. While China, the EU, and the US all funnel billions into Big Coal and Oil to destroy our planet, China is also providing huge loans and subsidies to the solar industry. And that’s exactly what other governments have failed to do.

Following the bankruptcy of a handful of US and EU solar manufacturers, some lobbyists are pushing politicians to blame China, instead of their own insufficient and inappropriate subsidies. Some claim that domestic jobs are threatened by low cost Chinese panels, but the truth is the opposite — experts predict that tariffs could cost 60,000 jobs in the US alone. The vast majority of jobs in the solar sector outside of China are in installing and servicing panels, not manufacturing them, so cheaper panels now means more work, and more jobs. And less climate change.

The EU trade Commissioner initiated the investigation into tariffs today and the US ITC proceedings are about to kick off. Written statements to both must be submitted in days to be considered. We’re in a race against the clock to green our economies and prevent catastrophic climate change, and Chinese success in green tech could be the perfect catalyst for the rest of the world to scale up the technology and sustainably bring down prices. Let’s make sure the EU and the US don’t kill our ray of hope:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/a_ray_of_hope_on_climate/?bkyeWbb&v=17606

In the world most of us everywhere want, our governments would incentivise clean energy, and not hand out our tax money to polluters making record profits from dirtying our land, air and water and destroying our planet. Today, we can save solar, and take one step closer to that future.

With hope,

Iain, Joseph, Alice, David, Julien, Emma, Ricken and the rest of the Avaaz team

PS – Avaaz has launched Community Petitions, an exciting new platform where it’s quick and easy to create a campaign on any issue you care strongly about. Start your own by clicking here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?do.ps.solar “

“More information:

BBC — “China solar panel imports investigated by European Union”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19498382

Forbes – “Solar Trade War Widens To Europe, SolarWorld Called ‘Crazed Agent Provocateur’”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2012/07/24/solar-trade-war-widens-to-europe-solarworld-called-crazed-agent-provocateur/

CBS — “Chinese solar industry faces weak sales, price war”
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/19337660/chinese-solar-industry-faces-weak-sales-price-war

NYT — “U.S. Slaps High Tariffs on Chinese Solar Panels”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/18/business/energy-environment/us-slaps-tariffs-on-chinese-solar-panels.html?pagewanted=all

Bloomberg – “U.S. Solar Tariffs On Chinese Cells May Boost Prices”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-17/u-s-solar-tariffs-on-chinese-cells-may-boost-prices.html

The Butler Firm — “Fighting Fair: A legal analysis of SolarWorlds trade dispute with China”
http://www.thebutlerfirm.com/fighting-fair-a-legal-analysis-of-solarworlds-trade-dispute-with-china/ ”

————————————–—

You may also want to know: