After Bush, look for greener US policy

Whoever wins the presidential election in November will have a stronger platform on climate change than the current administration, says legendary venture capitalist John Doerr.

But he or she, along with other political leaders, will have to mobilize the American public for the kind of investment needed to make huge strides toward a greener future, Doerr told more than 300 people Saturday at the MIT Energy Conference in Cambridge.

“The investors are ahead of the businesses, the businesses are ahead of the voters, and the voters are ahead of the political leaders,’’ said Doerr, known for his early backing of Google, Amazon, and Sun Microsystems.

Voters, however, still don’t see climate change as critical, he said, adding: “We’ve got to move mainstream American political opinion and reduce the partisan gap (on climate change). We’ve got to make this thing urgent, and do it now.’’

Doerr listed four areas in which his firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, has invested recently – spotlighting efforts to bring a high-end plug-in electric car on the market, drive synthetic biology for much cheaper vaccines and fuel, push solar solutions to reduce dirty coal-powered electricity, and find economies of scale in recycling for cities.

When asked if the recent enthusiam toward sustainable energy is a fad that could fade, as it did in the 1980s after the 1970s energy crisis, Doerr replied: “Is this a green tech bubble? No, this is a green tech boom. ...

“I can assure you there is underinvestment now,'' he said.