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To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the world needs to invest $44 trillion in clean energy by 2050 - an average of $1.2 trillion per year for the next 36 years. Yet global investment in clean energy was just $254 billion in 2013, down from $286 billion in 2012 and down from the record $318 billion in 2011. We have a long way to go to achieve the Clean Trillion goal. There are, however, several signs of progress.

Clean Edge recently released a new benchmarking index of corporations that take the lead in clean energy. The list of Corporate Clean Energy Leaders includes more than a dozen members of RMI's BRC, who make up nearly half Clean Edge's inaugural list.

Green cleaning products are no longer a niche interest, with many consumers willing to pay a little extra to pick up chemical-free or otherwise eco-friendly cleaning products, writes Stephen Ashkin. That shift is partly due to the rise of eco-labels and certification programs, which helped cleaning companies slice through the complexities of green chemistry. "With the advent of certification, standards and ecolabels, buyers have been given more tools to choose appropriate products," Ashkin explains.

Here are the clean energy trends that will matter in 2015:  - Moves toward 100 percent renewables will expand - Energy storage will carve out a competitive advantage - Low-cost oil could affect clean transportation, but not clean electricity - Other regions will follow New York's fracking ban 

World leaders have agreed to double the clean energy research funding they pledged in December as part of an international push to reduce carbon emissions, the White House announced on Thursday.  During the first meeting of the 21 countries involved in the Mission Innovation project this week, international members said they would increase the clean energy research and development funding the project is designed to facilitate.  According to the White House, member countries will now spend $30 billion per year by 2021 on clean energy research. 

The American Cleaning Institute (ACI), whose members include Dow Chemical, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson and Seventh Generation among other major brands, has launched a voluntary initiative to improve the sustainability of cleaning products.

2014 was an exciting year for clean energy. And we're not just talking about Rocky Mountain Institute and Carbon War Room merging in strategic alliance. Sure, that was exciting news, but there were many other remarkable clean energy developments that are helping bring us closer to a clean, prosperous, and secure energy future. Based on an informal poll of the RMI staff we list our top 10:

Clean Edge recently released a new benchmarking index of corporations that take the lead in clean energy. The list of Corporate Clean Energy Leaders includes more than a dozen members of RMI's BRC, who make up nearly half Clean Edge's inaugural list.

Non-profit As You Sow and Corporate Knights released the Carbon Clean 200 list, which ranks large publicly listed companies worldwide according to total revenue generated from clean energy. The top-5 included the following: Toyota Siemens Johnson Controls Schneider Electric Panasonic MORE »

The US could create jobs, curb carbon emissions and encourage economic prosperity by switching to a clean energy economy, write Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif. A recent report said that the US could create 2 million new jobs by 2050 if it adopted a goal to source 50% of its total electricity from clean energy sources by 2030. "Congress has an opportunity to put our country on a path toward a clean energy future that improves our economy while reinforcing our commitment to reducing dangerous carbon pollution," they write

Adobe, IKEA North America, Mars, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts filed briefs in the U.S. Court of Appeals in support of the EPA's Clean Power Plan. The companies stated they "view the Clean Power Plan and its emissions reduction program as a component of their domestic and international business risk mitigation strategies."

Companies and consumers are increasingly gravitating toward "clean labels" that include simple, transparent and jargon-free information about products, often including their health and environmental impacts, writes Andrew Winston. "Neglecting the clean-label movement will cost you customers and workers; avoiding it as a purposeful strategy could destroy the company or a few careers," Winston warns

The Volkswagen Group has joined the Clean Shipping Network, an association of cargo owners, and will use the Clean Shipping Index (CSI) assessment tool to analyze and reduce the environmental impact of marine shipment.

Coca-Cola is using SafeWater electrolyzed water systems in its plants as part of the company's "Doing Good, Doing Well" mission to increase sustainability. The system creates a sodium hydroxide cleaning solution and hypochlorous acid sanitizer by adding a small amount of salt to potable water and applying an electrical current. The fluids can be used to clean and sanitize processing equipment at room temperature, which reduces energy use

The report, Power Forward 2.0: How American Companies are Setting Clean Energy Targets and Capturing Greater Business Value, shows that clean energy is becoming mainstream for U.S. corporations - with 60 percent of the Fortune 100 having goals for renewable energy or greenhouse gas reductions. Through these initiatives, the 53 Fortune 100 companies reporting on climate and energy targets have collectively saved $1.1 billion annually and decreased their annual CO2 emissions by approximately 58.3 million metric tons - the equivalent of retiring 15 coal-fired power plants.

Clean Edge predicts more companies moving to 100 percent renewables for electricity and that low oil prices could affect the market for clean transportation. Find out what else.

Goldman Sachs has committed to investing $150 billion in clean energy technology by 2025. The bank will focus its spending on wind and solar projects as well as energy-efficiency measures. Kyung-Ah Park, Goldman's head of environmental markets, said more renewable projects would be installed this year than traditional systems, even though the economy is still in the early stages of shifting to clean energy

The political outcomes of COP21, the UN climate conference, may still be unknown, but at least we can expect substantial investment in clean energy following two initiatives announced earlier this week: Mission Innovation, a commitment from 20 participating countries to double their governmental and/or state-directed clean energy research and development investment over five years; and the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, a global group of private investors who will support the commercialization of clean energy ideas

In a delay for the EPA's Clean Power Plan, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit yesterday said the full court will hear oral arguments on the carbon emissions rule on Sept. 27. A three-judge panel had been scheduled to hear the case on June 2.

The US could cut its carbon dioxide emissions 20% more by using the Clean Power Plan, according to the Energy Information Administration. The report said carbon dioxide emissions from coal-burning power plants have been declining for a decade, but the nation could further accelerate that shift by employing the CPP. Rice University Associate Professor Daniel Cohan argues that the report emphasizes the importance of the ongoing litigation over the CPP and how far the US still has to go to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets.