Highlighting and increasing awareness of energy and telecommunications issues in the Asian Pacific American community, the fastest growing race or ethnic group across the nation, and Asians overseas is critical to inform and engage Asians in both these quickly evolving industries. In the past, Asian Pacific Americans have been historically viewed in the context of environmental justice. Asians wer
e the nation’s fastest growing race or ethnic group in 2012, according to the U.S. Their population rose by 530,000, or 2.9% in the preceding year to 18.9 million.
• Hawaii is our nation’s only majority Asian state, 56.9% of the total population.
• More than 60% of this growth in the Asian population came from international migration.
• California had both the largest Asian population of any state with 6 million and the largest increase of Asians, 136,000 since July 2011. Asian Pacific American’s interest in environmental issues was highlighted in a 2009 poll by the California League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, which found that among Asians surveyed in California, 83% described themselves as “environmentalists” in comparison to just 52% of all California voters. The number was even higher for Chinese Americans, with 96% calling themselves environmentalists. (Interviews of 1,000 Asian Americans were conducted in English, Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese.) From the emerging green economy to China’s investment in green sustainability to jobs anticipated in the oil and natural gas industry and high-speed and heavy bandwidth transport needs, Asians have a genuine opportunity to drive forward the future of these industries, while both stimulating our economy and protecting and preserving our most precious resources. In addition, California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, know as AB 32, and state funding from Proposition 39, which is projected to generate an estimated $425 million in 2013 will chart a course towards a greener global economy, presents exceptional business and job opportunities.
