The Gigaton Throwdown is a report developed after 18 months of evaluating what it would take to scale up clean energy aggressively so that it has a major impact on job growth, energy independence, and climate change during the next 10 years. We now see two possible worlds for 2020 and beyond.

In one world, clean energy markets expand dramatically. Private investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency more than triples, revitalizing the economy with green jobs in manufacturing, construction, and technology. Our energy economy becomes a source of investment in science, engineering, and technology, all of which drive national economic growth. Simultaneously, our investments deliver energy security and address climate change.

In the other world, clean energy markets remain a polite concession to the sustainability movement. Demand for renewable energy grows at the modest rate of 7% annually that many national agencies forecast. At this growth rate, these technologies will meet less than 2% of total global energy demand in 2020. Some jobs will be created, but the opportunity to build a global industry and advance U.S. leadership in technology will be lost. Meanwhile, the U.S. will remain dependent on imported oil and other fossil fuels, and climate change will continue unchecked.

The pace of innovation and private investment in clean energy is now making it possible to envision the first world. On the current trajectory, however, we end up in the second. The U.S. will miss a huge economic opportunity and squander the chance to address the climate problem and deliver jobs, economic growth, and energy security.

Download the executive summary of the report below; the full report is online at GigaTonThrowdown.org. For more, see GreenBiz.com executive editor Joel Makower's take on the topic, "The 'Gigaton Throwdown' and the Big Hairy Audacious Question."